Mysterious Waltz
by Snow Tigra
Summary: One day Quatre follows his fellow student Trowa to the library and they come across a book called the Universe of the Four gods. The sixth part is up!
1. Default Chapter

Mysterious Waltz Teaser  
  
This is the story of a young girl who made her dreams come true when she came to possess the stars of Suzaku. The story itself is a spell for it becomes real and the spell is cast the moment the first page is turned…  
  
**  
  
A servant spoke up from behind the two. "Excuse me, Miss Duo, but the Emperor wishes to see both you and Miss Relena in his chambers."  
  
Duo's mouth dropped open and she made a face.  
  
"Both… of us?" Relena wondered out loud.  
  
Duo shrugged her shoulders. "That's what she said, lets get this over with."  
  
**  
  
Noin closed the door and turned her attention immediately toward the table which held the three scrolls. Sitting down at the table she sighed sadly. A hand tugged on the back of her robes and she jumped, whirling around in her seat. But she sighed with relief when her eyes fell on the young girl with the blank face and glowing green eyes.  
  
"Marimeia, please don't scare me like that."  
  
Marimeia simply blinked her shimmering green eyes in confusion.  
  
**  
  
Wufei sighed heavily and walked up to the shrine. Kneeling down he faced the many statues and composed himself. Reaching forward he touched each statue and whispered the name.  
  
"The red phoenix, Suzaku.  
"The blue dragon, Seriyu.  
"The white tiger, Byakko.  
"Genbu, the union of the snake and the turtle."  
  
He paused as he placed his hand on the fifth and final statue, his eyes narrowing. He stood up without saying the name and turned around slowly, addressing the shadows as he clutched his staff protectively.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
"Remember me, Priest?" hissed a soft voice from the shadows.  
  
Wufei emitted a low growl of hatred.  
  
**  
  
Hilde faced Zechs, the hatred burning brightly in her eyes. Upon her forehead the red symbol blazed to life and she raised her silver fan.  
  
"Lekka shein!" She yelled in anger as flames shot from the fan toward him.  
  
Zechs simply raised his hand and blue light shot up around him.  
  
Hilde screamed.  
  
**  
  
Trowa grimaced as he sat up in bed, his entire body aching. Lifting the blankets he found himself naked and well bruised from head to toe. He tested moving his legs and grimaced once more as the pain flowed through his body. Trowa laid back in the bed and glanced around the richly decorated room in confusion.  
  
"What happened to me? Why… why does everything hurt so much?"  
  
**  
  
Heero's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I told you not to tell her I passed here!" In a lightning fast movement he unsheathed his sword and advanced on Quatre, who quickly backed himself into a wall in fright.   
  
Quatre flinched as Heero's katana came down toward his head. Suddenly the world around him blazed with red light and Heero's sword was ripped from his grasp and thrown across the alleyway. Heero's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"Priestess?!"  
  
**  
  
Their lips met in a deep kiss and, despite his wounds, their hands began to wander. Duo's tongue teased at the front of Heero's lips and the young Emperor opened his mouth without hesitation. As Duo's tongue began to explore so did his hands, slipping beneath the Emperor's robes.  
  
"Duo…"  
  
Duo froze and his eyes widened. In a panic he pulled away from Heero, his eyes darting around the room.  
  
"Duo?" Heero asked softly in confusion.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Duo asked in a shaky voice.  
  
"No," Heero said with a frown.  
  
Duo walked to the window, hugging himself and shivering. "Solo?" he whispered in fear.  
  
**  
  
Catherine ran up to him. "Trowa!"  
  
Trowa turned around and stared at her.  
  
She froze in midstep. "Don't you… remember me?" she whispered.  
  
He shook his head. "No, I don't."  
  
**  
  
The light spun around above the group like a great cyclone, picking up speed. Then it suddenly shot toward the group, aiming and striking a single individual with all its power. There was a flash and then the sky dropped back into a foreboding twilight. Duo's eyes widened.  
  
"Oh no," he choked out.  
  
**  
  
"Stop!" Trowa raised the sword and leveled it at the strange boy. "Put her down."  
  
The strange boy knelt and set Marimeia down. Turning around slowly Trowa could now easily see the cat-like ears and the long twitching tail. The boy watched Trowa closely with his yellow eyes.  
  
"I don't want to hurt her." The cat-boy whispered softly.  
  
Marimeia's glowing green eyes widened in recognition and a tear slid down her cheek. "Odin?"  
  
**  
  
"And just who are you?" Dorothy asked with an amused chuckle.  
  
Quatre struggled to his feet and locked determined eyes with her.   
  
"I am the Priest of Suzaku," he spoke in a low deadly voice. "An you will listen to what I have to say or you will regret it dearly."  
  
**  
  
end of teaser  
  
Author's note: This story is currently in the works and I will begin posting parts about mid-May. Please tell me what you think and if I should post it. 


	2. Chapter 1

Title: Mysterious Waltz  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Author: Snow Tigra  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: 1x2x1, 3x4x3 (more to come)  
Warnings: AU, crossover, insanity (but in a good way), gods, priests, priestesses, cliché thugs and butchered history lessons.  
Spoilers: small spoilers for Fushigi Yuugi  
Archive: Fanfiction.net, Insane Gundam Yaoi Crossover Page  
  
Mysterious Waltz:  
A Gundam Wing / Fushigi Yuugi Crossover  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. And the plot is loosely based off Fushigi Yuugi. I wish I owned it. Oh, I really wish I did. But I don't. So please don't sue me… or I'll write more just to spite you! *grins*  
  
Note: at the end of each part there will be a "Characters so far" section to remind you of which character is which. Given the large amount of characters that will be introduced in this story I figured it would help a lot. Also, unless the character has shown up in the story don't expect there to be a thing for him or her yet, I'm not going to give away spoilers. :p  
  
By: Snow Tigra (with large amounts of help from Khadaji and Jo-san and Stardancer!)  
  
Part 1: "This is the Story…"  
  
Quatre sighed softly as he set down the violin on the floor. Leaning forward and setting his chin in his hands he contemplated the polished wooden instrument. He had a concert in less then a month and he still hadn't managed to get that one part down, no matter how hard he practiced. He was about ready to pick up the instrument and chuck it out the window, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He truly loved the violin it was just that… just…  
  
"Why can't I get that note right?!"  
  
He sighed softly again and stood up. Walking over to the case he placed the instrument gently inside, deciding to give it a rest for the day. It was time to go home. As soon as he got back he planned to curl up next to the window in his room with a thick book and read until either his eyes hurt or he fell asleep, which ever came first. He didn't have any homework and he was already ahead in studying for his entrance exams so he deserved a good rest from the real world. It would be so nice to dive into a good fantasy novel, he couldn't wait.  
  
"Onii-chan, come on! Enough practicing already, it's time to go."  
  
Quatre turned to see one of his schoolmates knocking on a practice room door. A second later the door opened and she held it there. Quatre stood silently and watched, curious who was in the other practice room.  
  
Soon a boy his age emerged from the room. He wore the normal school uniform of black pants and a button down white shirt with the logo over the breast pocket. That should have passed him off as normal and Quatre wouldn't have thought another moment about it or him any more… if it weren't for his eyes.  
  
Then again perhaps eyes weren't the way to put it, because Quatre could actually only see one. The other eye was obscured by a long set of caramel colored bangs. The eye that did show, however, was the most beautiful shade of emerald green Quatre had ever seen. Quatre's first thought was that the girl next to him was his girlfriend but he immediately remembered what she'd called the boy, onii-chan. They were brother and sister? They looked almost nothing alike.   
  
She looked nothing like him with her curled auburn colored hair and glassy blue eyes. They looked more like a couple then siblings but Quatre wasn't one to judge since he himself was an only child. Still they seemed like complete opposites since she was being so talkative and so far he hadn't said a single word.  
  
The boy stepped out of the room with a flute case and backpack in hand then silently followed his sister from the practice hall. Quatre, before he even realized what he was doing, began to follow them. He followed the two away from the school and down the street, his earlier plans to curl up with a novel completely forgotten. Instead he wanted to know more about he silent boy, or at least learn his name. He soon realized they were headed straight for the National Library.  
  
Perfect! Quatre thought, now he had an excuse to keep following them. Not to mention he had an explanation if he was caught in the act. But those happy thoughts were quickly shattered when they entered the library and the siblings disappeared into the crowd of people. He couldn't see them anywhere. Quatre's shoulders slumped in defeat and he sighed softly.  
  
"Oh well, it was a stupid idea anyway."  
  
Accepting his fate with another sigh of disappointment Quatre headed up the stairs to the fantasy section. He was at the library so he might as well get a book and return to his original plan. A good book and the warmth of sunlight from the window would easily get his mind off those shimmering emerald eyes, he was sure of it.   
  
It didn't take long before Quatre had found a good number of books that would keep him busy reading well into the night. He was lucky it was a weekend, he'd have plenty of time to read all of them, at least once. Carrying a rather large armful Quatre made his way back toward the stairs and the checkout counter below. However as he reached the stairs, misjudging the distance, he stumbled and was sent flying.  
  
In that single second the world around him seemed to flash into bright red. All around he was surround by dancing, leaping red flames. A large bird made of fire with glimmering green eyes screeched at him and took off into the air, sending small ashes flying from its tail. A phoenix? Quatre blinked and whirled around.   
  
All around him stood dozens of figures dressed in different colored robes. There were twenty or so in all, standing in four equal sized groups. Each group had its own color and as the bird disappeared from sight all of the cloaked figures turned to look at him. Then, as suddenly as it had started, the illusion stopped and Quatre found himself flying through the air toward the bottom of the stairs.  
  
He let out a cry of surprise as a hand latched tightly on to his arm and yanked him back to his feet, preventing his fall. Quatre dropped to his knees to catch his breath and regain his balance. His mind immediately dismissed the strange vision in favor of seeing who had helped him, so he looked up… and froze.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
Quatre swallowed and nodded slowly. It was the same boy from the practice room, the one who'd had the flute and the bright green eyes. Quatre quickly adverted his eyes to the floor to hide the small blush of embarrassment crossing his cheeks.  
  
"A-arigatou."  
  
"No thanks necessary." The boy said quietly. When Quatre looked up he found the boy offering him and hand to help him to his feet. Quatre took it and stood up. He glanced down the stairs quickly to avoid meeting the other boy's eyes and gave a start. He noticed his books lying scattered down the stairs with a small amount of one he hadn't picked out. That's when he realized the other boy must have dropped his books to catch him.   
  
"Gomen!" Quatre hurried down the stairs and began to pick up the books. I must look like such a fool! He scolded himself miserably.  
  
The boy leaned down to help and soon all the books were picked up. One book was left lying on the ground and neither reached for it.  
  
"Is it yours?" Quatre asked quietly, he didn't recognize it.  
  
The boy with the emerald eyes shook his head. Slowly he reached forward and picked up the book. Raising an eyebrow he read over the title.  
  
"The Universe of the Four Gods," he muttered softly.   
  
"Never heard of it." Quatre murmured. He took it from the boy and opened to the front page and began to read the first paragraph.   
  
"This is the story of a young girl who, after she came to possess the stars of Suzaku, made all her dreams come true. The story itself is a spell and whoever reads it becomes the girl. For the story comes true and the spell is cast as soon as the first page is turned." Quatre paused and glanced back at the emerald eyed boy in confusion. "That's strange."  
  
The boy frowned. "We should take it to the front desk, it's possible someone might have dropped it."  
  
Quatre nodded and stood up, closing the book in his hands. As they stood up and headed for the front desk the girl Quatre had seen with the boy earlier appeared at the top of the stairs.  
  
"And just where do you think you're running off to?" She mock demanded.   
  
The boy turned to her and offered a light smile. "Just bringing this book back to the front desk. I'll be back."  
  
The girl nodded. "All right. I'll be up in the manga section if you need me."  
  
The boy nodded and turned away, meaning to head with Quatre to the front desk. Though, strangely as soon as his sister disappear a strange red light began to emit from the book. Quatre immediately stopped walking and his eyes grew wide.  
  
Quatre gave a small cry as the book seemed to come alive in his hands. It shone brightly with a blinding light and grew burning hot, causing Quatre to drop it to the ground. The book landed with a loud crack on its spine and snapped open to reveal two pages. One was covered with words, ancient letters; while the other page held the picture of four figures dressed in long flowing robes.   
  
"What's going on?" Quatre whispered in a shaky voice.  
  
The boy opened his mouth to respond but all of a sudden a bright red light burst from the book, shooting straight through the ceiling. Quatre and the boy both threw up their arms to protect themselves as Quatre let out a small cry. The air around him turned warm and for a moment he found himself and the boy standing in a world made of bright red flames. Then there was the face of a huge bird made of fire, a phoenix. It gave a loud piercing cry and Quatre was suddenly falling.  
  
Darkness swallowed him before he had a chance to cry out again.  
  
**  
  
Trowa was the first to wake up. He opened his green eyes and blinked with surprise, where were they? He found he was lying on a hard ground of dry sand and his arms were wrapped protectively around the blond boy. For a moment he didn't dare move, afraid this was all some strange dream from which he did not wish to wake. After a few minutes he silently scolded himself for being irrational and gently nudged the boy until he began to show signs of waking up.  
  
Quatre blinked his eyes open and glanced around in question. His eyes widened at the sight of Trowa lying next to him and he tensed up as he discovered Trowa held him in a loose but protective embrace. Trowa noticed him tense up and quickly pulled out of the embrace as Quatre's face grew slightly red. Sitting up he glanced around at the arid and relatively dry landscape in confusion.  
  
"Where are we? What happened?" Quatre asked sitting up.  
  
"I don't know," Trowa replied softly as he stood up. Taking one last look around he turned to Quatre and offered a hand to help him to his feet. "Where ever we are we appear to be stuck here."  
  
Quatre frowned and peered around them. The library was no where in sight, for that matter he could really see any buildings. Instead they were surrounded by dry land, and above them was a bright and warm sun. Small patches of brown grass littered the ground around them while only a few scattered trees lay in sight. Quatre swallowed and rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out exactly where they were.  
  
The landscape was dry, there were no buildings or houses, no real sign of life. Well, except for the small outline of a city far in the distance to the south. Quatre turned in that direction and pointed.  
  
"It looks like a city."  
  
The boy walked to his side and nodded. "It seems like as good a place as any to start."  
  
Glancing around at the area where they had fallen Quatre noticed that whatever had transported them had only transported their bodies and clothing. His backpack and the books he'd been carrying at the time were no where in sight. Sighing softly he glanced back to the boy. "Shall we go?"  
  
"Yes. But, first, for the record, what is your name?"  
  
"Quatre Winner," Quatre replied, brushing the dust off his school uniform. "And yours?"  
  
"Trowa."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Trowa." Quatre responded with a smile. Trowa offered a light one in response.  
  
"Well what do we have here?"  
  
Both boys whirled around in surprise to find a group of roughly dressed men with large weapons. Trowa immediately stepped in front of Quatre, stretching back his arm to make sure Quatre stayed behind him. His eyes narrowed as he watched the men who moved to surround them.  
  
They were dressed in old period clothing made of tunics, sashes and baggy pants. All wore their hair tied back in long thin ponytails while the one who appeared to be their boss was the only clean shaven one of the group, and he held the largest sword.   
  
"Looks like a couple of foreigners, boss." Responded one of the men. He snickered and leered at Quatre, who quickly took a few steps back.  
  
"Yeah, they must be rich to afford such funny clothing."  
  
The boss grinned. "Especially the blond one, he'll fetch a good price."  
  
"Slave traders," Trowa hissed dangerously. He locked his eyes with the slave traders and crouched slightly into a fighting stance. "Quatre, get out of here!"  
  
"But…"  
  
Two of the slave traders began to advance toward Quatre, drawing their swords. Trowa jumped forward quickly dropping to the ground and kicking the first thug's legs out from under him so he tumbled backward into his partner.  
  
"Go! Now!"  
  
Quatre shook his head but forced himself to turn around and run away from the slave traders and Trowa, not letting himself look back. As he raced forward he could hear the sounds of the fight, but all he could do was pray that Trowa would be all right and find a place to hide until it was over.  
  
**  
  
"You going to take us all on boy?" The boss sneered at Trowa.   
  
Trowa didn't answer, instead he just glared back, his hands raised in readiness. From the looks on the faces of the other two slave traders he could tell Quatre had gotten away and now they were all concentrating on him. Three on one was horrible odds but still Trowa was glad the other boy had gotten away, he didn't look like the type who knew how to fight. Better that he got out of sight.  
  
One of the slave traders rushed forward, his sword swinging high. Trowa jumped to the side and reached back, grabbing his arms and twisting it tightly, knocking the sword from his hand and then spun around and punched him hard in the gut. The slave trader grunted and clutched his stomach as he moaned in pain. Trowa immediately turned his attention to the other two, who certainly didn't look happy at the fact that he could fight.  
  
"He's mine," growled the second slave trader and he moved forward, slicing his sword out toward Trowa's midsection. Trowa flipped back and kicked the man in the wrist, sending his sword flying as well. Yet this time Trowa landed and caught it steadily in his right hand. Jumping up he leveled the blade at the second slave trader.  
  
The second slave trader froze with a look of slight fear across his face, but then his lips slowly slithered into a grin. Trowa's body stiffened as a cold sharp piece of metal rested against the back of his neck, he swallowed and scolded himself for not paying attention to where the boss had been the entire time.  
  
"You're a lot of trouble, boy, but you'll have to do." Growled the boss from behind him.  
  
Trowa dropped the sword in his hand and sighed softly, raising his arms. Well, on the bright side at least he'd distracted them enough to let Quatre get away. He supposed that was better then nothing. But now how was he supposed to get away?  
  
End of part 1  
  
Characters so far:  
* Quatre Winner - A typical 15 year old student who plays the violin.   
* Trowa - Another student from Quatre's school who plays the flute. He and Quatre were both magically transported to an unfamiliar world.  
* Catherine - Trowa's twin sister.  



	3. Chapter 2

Title: Mysterious Waltz  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Author: Snow Tigra  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: 1x2x1, 3x4x3 (more to come)  
Warnings: AU, crossover, insanity (but in a good way), gods, priests, priestesses, cliché thugs and butchered history lessons, implied rape :(.  
Spoilers: small spoilers for Fushigi Yuugi  
Archive: Fanfiction.net, Insane Gundam Yaoi Crossover Page  
  
Mysterious Waltz:  
A Gundam Wing / Fushigi Yuugi Crossover  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. And the plot is loosely based off Fushigi Yuugi. I wish I owned it. Oh, I really wish I did. But I don't. So please don't sue me… or I'll write more just to spite you! *grins*  
  
By: Snow Tigra (with large amounts of help from Khadaji and Jo-san and Stardancer!)  
  
Part 2:   
  
**  
  
Quatre breathed in quick gasps as he rushed around the corner of the nearest building, nearly falling to his knees then just giving in and collapsing in exhaustion. He lay there for a moment, gulping air hungrily as his heart beat heavily and his legs ached. As he lay there breathing he listened to the people around him. The small alley way he'd raced into was completely empty, save for a few scattered barrels and crates, and he could hear the people on the major street just beyond. He knew he was lucky they were so close to what looked like a village and the slave traders wouldn't have followed him, would they?  
  
Swallowing hard Quatre forced himself to stand up and brushed the dust and sand from his school uniform. Creeping slowly to the corner he peered beyond the buildings to where he and Trowa had been.   
  
The sun shown brightly overhead, illuminating the large area of flat ground just beyond the city. The ground was all rocks and sand, save for a few scattered bits of thin brush. He squinted and peered around but there was no one. Both the slave traders and the emerald-eyed boy were gone. Quatre sighed and dropped backward to sit on top a empty crate, leaning his back against the cool stone wall.  
  
"I hope he made it away from them." He whispered softly. "He's probably in the city right now looking for me."   
  
Jumping down from the crate Quatre walked over to the edge of the alley facing the city streets, and stopped, staring in amazement. The city before him looked like it was right out of an old fantasy novel. The city streets were lined with a mixture of houses made of stone and mud while small booths sat outside each door, various people selling their wares. Pots, food, clothing, you name it there was a booth for it. All the people who walked by wore loose clothing of robes and loose pants. Everything was old styled and the people spoke and moved just like they were out of one of the many fantasy novels Quatre had read. His eyes widened.  
  
In his mind he could remember the library, and what had happened just before they disappeared into the red light. The book had cracked open and there had been a picture of four figures dressed in long ornate robes. Quatre shook his head and blinked.  
  
"I'm in the book? That can't be right!"  
  
Quatre stepped out of the alley and began to wander the streets, looking around at the sights. The longer he walked around the city the more his suspicions were confirmed. The clothing the people wore and the way they acted, it was all so perfect. Straight out of a book. He had to be inside the book or at some strange new amusement park. Though, given the strange circumstances and the light from the book, he was willing to bet it was the book and not an amusement park.   
  
Stopping by a rather ornately decorated wall Quatre leaned against it and chewed on his lower lip, trying to think. He noticed the people stared at him and their expressions certainly weren't something that could have been faked. He imagined he looked rather strange in his black and white school uniform with the green tie, something they'd never seen before. His clothes were a sharp contrast to the long robes, sashes and sandals. Not to mention that they all wore tunics and most had their hair long while Quatre kept his cut quite short. Loosening his tie he sighed and used it to wipe the sweat from his forehead.  
  
"It certainly is hotter here," he commented quietly. Glancing around he spotted a small spot of shade and went to stand in it, planning on watching the crowd of passer-bys for any sign of Trowa and further clues as to where exactly he was. "If I wait here long enough he has to pass by eventually."  
  
As he stood there and watched the group of people, a cloaked figure ducked around the corner of the ornate wall and raced forward, bumping straight into Quatre before he could be warned. Both were knocked to the ground and the other boy's hood was knocked away, revealing a head of mustled and unruly brown hair. Quatre rubbed his head and sat up.  
  
The boy jumped up instantly and his stunning cobalt blue colored eyes locked with Quatre. "You never saw me, if you say anything I will kill you." He hissed in a threatening voice. Then, as quickly as he had appeared, the boy disappeared around the corner and the alley way was silent once more.  
  
Quatre just sat there and blinked in confusion at what had happened. He'd barely had time to react before the boy disappeared. Yet he had heard the threat from the boy, he'd heard that quite clearly. The confusion quickly wore off and Quatre stood up just in time to see another person round the corner of the wall, though this time it was a woman dressed in embroidered finery and she was walking at a hurried yet dainty pace. Her light blue eyes immediately set of Quatre, and she gave him a strange look from his clothing. Shrugging she walked over to him, carrying her robes so they didn't brush against the dusty ground.  
  
"Did a young man pass by here minutes ago? I'm afraid I've lost track of him. He's about your height with short brown hair and…"  
  
Quatre shook his head, remembering the boy's warning. The woman nodded slowly and started to walk past him heading for the corner the cloaked boy had turned down. Quatre frowned and quickly reached out to touch her arm. She whirled around and jerked it back from him.  
  
"Just what do you think you are doing?" she demanded heatedly. Quatre swallowed hard.  
  
"I just remembered, I did see someone, but they were wearing a cloak so I don't know if it was who you were looking for. But they went down that alley, going too fast for me to see." Quatre pointed down the alley opposite of the one the cloaked boy had taken.  
  
A bright smile slid across the woman's face. "Thank you so much!" Turning she raced down the alley where Quatre had pointed, her skirts held from the ground. "Heero-sama!!" she cried out happily as she quickly disappeared.  
  
As soon as she was gone Quatre heard the boy in the cloak walk back round the corner, his hood still down. He glared angrily at Quatre. "I told you not to tell her anything," he snarled.  
  
Quatre's eyes widened. "But she would have followed you if I hadn't said anything-" Quatre's voice dropped off as the boy pushed back his cloak to reveal a long sword and unsheathed it. He quickly backed away but his back hit a wall. Quatre flinched and turned away, shutting his eyes in fear as the boy raised his sword in anger.  
  
"Omae o korosu," he hissed.  
  
He brought it down quickly when suddenly the alley way was filled with a bright red light. The boy's sword was ripped from his grip and thrown across the alley by some invisible force so strong that it lodged the sword deep in the stone wall. The boy's eyes widened.  
  
"Priestess?" he whispered in surprise.  
  
Quatre slowly opened his eyes and watched in amazement as the red glow around him faded away into nothing. Opening his eyes fully he glanced at the confused boy in the cloak and the sword lodged in the stone wall across the alley. Wordlessly he watched as the boy retrieved his sword and raised it to attack again. This time Quatre kept his eyes opened and watched as the bright red light flared to life around him, and the sword was thrown across the alley once more, this time clattering to the ground.  
  
"The priestess of Suzaku? It can't be… who are you? Where did you come from?" The boy demanded angrily.  
  
Quatre glanced at him warily. "My name is Quatre Winner."  
  
The boy frowned. "And you are the one of legend? The priestess-" He stopped to correct himself. "Priest of Suzaku?"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about."   
  
Quatre fell silent as the boy turned and retrieved his sword once more, though this time he sheathed it safely in his belt. Quatre gave a small sigh of relief as the boy moved to the cloak to hide his weapon.   
  
"Come with me," the boy ordered.  
  
"Why?"  
  
The boy's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Because I order it so."  
  
Quatre swallowed and nodded, not willing to trust his life to that strange red light again just yet. Better to avoid a confrontation all together. So he followed the boy around the large ornate the wall to a thick wooden gate. Two guards stood at the gate and they quickly dropped into deep bows before the boy in the cloak.  
  
"Your highness!"  
  
The boy nodded to each of them briefly without saying a word.  
  
Quatre's eyes widened. "Your highness?" He glanced at the boy, the fear plain in his eyes. "You're royalty?"  
  
The boy shot Quatre a glare out of the corner of his eyes as the guards opened the gates and bowed once more. He lead Quatre in through the door, which shut behind them with a resounding slam. Quatre followed him up the stairs, staying completely silent and just watching his surroundings. They had entered what looked like an imperial palace, which would mean that this boy wasn't just royalty. Quatre had the sneaking suspicion that this kid was actually the Emperor judging by how the guards reacted at the door and the reaction of the servants they passed on their way to what looked like the throne room. Quatre stopped in the doorway and just stared as the boy took off his cloak to reveal ornately decorated robes and took a seat on the throne.  
  
Quatre's mouth hung open as he looked around the room, his wide eyes taking in the intricate wood carvings and elegant statues of various figures and gods. Servants bustled back and forth, always stopping to bow to the boy, then hurried off to their various jobs. Thick tapestries and bright colored pieces of fabric hung from the high curved ceiling to brush against the floor and waver as a soft, cool breeze flowed through the room. Quatre's eyes finally drifted away from the scenery and settled on the boy, who sat in his throne watching Quatre quietly with interest.  
  
Quatre finally sighed. "I'm confused," he stated rather plainly, feeling quite stupid for making such a simple admission.  
  
"Understandable. I apologize for my earlier act of anger, it was… uncalled for."  
  
"Who are you? And… where are we?"  
  
"My name is Heero. I am the Emperor of the kingdom of Konan. This is my palace." Heero made a slight wave of his hand, meant to encompass and refer to everything surrounding them.  
  
"I still don't know what's going on. Wait… Konan? I am in ancient China?"  
  
Heero nodded, his face passive and blank. "There is a legend that has been passed down through the ages in my kingdom that says one day a person from another world will arrive. That person will in turn be granted the power of Suzaku in order to make their wishes come true and save this kingdom." Heero finished and looked at Quatre with a sort of expectancy.  
  
Quatre just returned a confused look.  
  
Furrowing his brows, Heero seemed to ponder something for a moment, then he nodded lightly to himself. "Come." Heero stood up and walked to a small wooden chest beside his throne. Quatre walked over and stood beside him as he knelt down and opened the chest, revealing a neatly rolled red scroll. Heero took out the scroll and carefully unrolled it. Glancing at Quatre he began to read the words printed on the page.  
  
"There by the one of legend appeared in the land of Konan, destined to discover the stars of Suzaku and make her dreams come true. This is the story of a young girl who, after she came to possess the stars of Suzaku, made her dreams come true." He glanced to Quatre for a reaction.  
  
"Ok, that sounds just like the book I read in the library, but I still don't understand why you think I'm the one in the story. I mean… it's talking about a girl."  
  
Heero nodded slowly. "You are from another world, correct? Your clothes are different from anything I've ever seen and you don't know where you are, yet Konan is a large and famous area, even in distant empires. If you were from my world you would know of my empire."  
  
"Are you saying that I'm supposed to be… a priestess?"  
  
"Yes. The red light that surrounded you when I tried to kill you before was unmistakably the power of Suzaku."  
  
Quatre sighed softly and shook his head. "You must have made a mistake. I can't be a priestess… I'm a guy!"  
  
"I *don't* make mistakes!" Heero stated in a deadly cold voice.  
  
"But…"  
  
Heero shot Quatre an angry glare and he shut up quickly. "If you do not believe me, then perhaps this will convince you." Heero rolled up the scroll and handed it to Quatre. Quatre glanced at the words on the outside of the scroll and read them out loud.  
  
"The Universe of the Four Gods." Quatre's jaw dropped open and his throat grew dry as he choked out the words below the title. "Suzaku. Quatre… Winner."   
  
Quatre slowly handed the scroll back to Heero with shaking hands, afraid of dropping it. It couldn't be. How was it possible that his name was inscribed on an old yellowed scroll in a world he'd never been to before? There was just no way that was possible.  
  
"You are the Priest of Suzaku," Heero spoke quietly.  
  
Quatre swallowed hard, he couldn't find any reason to debate that simple statement.  
  
**  
  
The lady Relena stepped back into the palace, her face arranged in a deep pout. Once again Emperor Heero had gotten away from her, and she'd even chased him beyond the palace this time. If she didn't know better she would have said that the young emperor was actually trying to avoid her or something along those lines. But then again why would he do a thing like that? After all he was the one who had originally accepted her into his harem as a peace offering from a neighboring empire so he had no reason to race away from her. It just wasn't proper behavior for an emperor to run away from the women in his harem.  
  
Sighing to herself she turned down the garden walkway which led to the main building for the ladies of the harem. "I just don't understand," she murmured quietly to herself. Stopping in midstep she leaned against the railing of the small bridge over the garden's pond and stared down into the water. "Why does he keep doing this?" she asked her reflection angrily.  
  
"Maybe it's because you're as dense as a rock, ojo-san?"  
  
Relena looked up in surprise to see another woman sitting at the edge of the pond right next to the bridge. This woman was dressed in palace finery much like Relena, with her long chestnut colored hair coiled intricately upon her head. Deep violet eyes focused on Relena and a mischievous smirk slid across her face.  
  
Relena clutched her hands into fists and glared back at the other woman angrily. "And just how would you know what I was talking about?" Despite her obvious anger Relena was trying her best to stay calm. If it weren't for the fact that she'd been raised properly in a royal household she would have decked this particularly annoying woman long ago. But no, Relena had always been taught to not hurt others, so she restrained herself, but just barely.  
  
The other woman stood up from her place beside the pond and walked up on to the bridge, stopping to lean against the railing behind Relena. She idly played with a loose lock of her shining chestnut colored hair as she continued to smirk.  
  
"Everyone knows what you're talking about, ojo-san, even him."  
  
Relena narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to yell, yet she caught herself. Taking a deep breath she forced her anger down and spoke in a calm voice. "I would appreciate it if you did not call me that, Lady Duo."  
  
Duo chuckled and shrugged. "Whatever you say, Relena-*sama*."  
  
"Exactly," Relena replied, standing up straight and smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles in her dress. "And you better get used to it, because that's what you'll be calling me when I become the Emperor's wife, that is of course assuming I even let you near the palace again." With those words Relena turned away from Duo and walked across the bridge and down the garden path.  
  
"Truly hopeless," Duo muttered softly to herself.  
  
"Excuse me," The voice of a servant attracted Duo's attention from behind as she raced across the bridge and stopped next to her. "Lady Duo… the Emperor has requested you and Lady Relena join him in his chambers."  
  
Duo frowned and raised an eyebrow, curiously. "Both of us?" She glanced across the garden to where Relena was slowly walking away, pretending not to eavesdrop on the situation. "Why would he possibly want to see that basket case when half the time he's running away from her?" Yet Duo shrugged away her own question before the servant could offer an answer. "Ok, tell him we'll be right there."  
  
The servant bowed quickly and turned on her heels, rushing back for the Emperor's room. Meanwhile Duo turned to yell after Relena.  
  
"Hey!" she called after Relena. "Ojo-san! Get back here!"  
  
Relena balled up her fists and whirled around angrily, unable to hold in the rage this time. "Stop calling me that!" She spat out, stamping her foot. Narrowing her eyes Relena picked up her skirts and walked back toward Duo. "What do you want now?" she demanded.  
  
Duo made a face at her. "Oh don't even pretend you weren't listening in on the conversation. You heard her, Heero-sama wants to see both of us in his chambers."  
  
Relena frowned and made a disgusted face. "Both of us? In his chambers?" She didn't even need to finish the thought, she and Duo were thinking the exact same thing. Why both of them? And why his chambers? The Emperor never called the women of the harem to his chambers.  
  
"That's what he said, apparently." For a moment Duo's face mirrored the disgust and confusion from Relena's then she shrugged it off. There was no point in making such obscure assumptions. If the Emperor wanted to sleep with two of his harem women at the same time that was his choice, which meant that the women had nothing to say in the matter. Duo shrugged off the thought quickly, she decided there was no point in making assumptions until the Emperor's true intentions were made clear.  
  
While Duo pondered over what the servant's message had implied Relena spotted her chance. Clutching her skirts she raced past Duo at a hurried pace, straight for the Emperor's chambers. Duo noticed a second later and grabbed her skirts, practically jumping in pursuit. There was no way she was going to let Relena corner Heero-sama against a wall again, not if she could help it!  
  
"Hey! Wait up!"  
  
**  
  
Trowa opened his eyes, the world slowly coming into focus around him. Without moving he glanced around at his unfamiliar surroundings in wonder. He found he was lying on a very soft bed in a richly decorated room. Tapestries of royal and light blue covered the walls along with intricate wood work and a statue of a large Chinese style dragon sat in the far corner. It looked like some sort of shrine.  
  
Trowa sat up in bed and grimaced as his entire body cried out in pain. Lifting the blankets he found himself naked and well bruised from head to toe. He felt like he'd been thrown to the ground and… Trowa laid back in the bed and furrowed his bows at the unspoken thought. His entire body hurt, and he was barely even moving. Had he been…  
  
"What happened to me? Why does everything hurt so much?"  
  
The last thing he remembered was the strange book in the library and that blond boy named Quatre. They'd looked at the book and there was this strange red light… then they'd appeared in a strange land far away from the library.   
  
"We were attacked," Trowa murmured softly as he remembered the slave traders. He remembered trying to fight them off as Quatre ran but they'd beaten him, and then they'd knocked him out.  
  
Trowa closed his eyes and held his head, trying to remember what happened after that. His mind offered up dark pictures of bodies in a dark cell… flickering candle light… the hot and sweat filled smell of someone above him…  
  
Trowa blinked open his eyes and grimaced, suddenly feeling sick. Sitting up in the bed once more he hugged himself against the disgusting feeling that spread across his body. He could still feel that unfamiliar figure above him. The stench of sweat, of his hot breath. Trowa closed his eyes and forced away the image, taking a few deep breaths.  
  
After taking a few moments to calm down Trowa returned his attention to his current situation. He was lying in a richly decorated room and wasn't bound by chains and ropes. Making a break from the room and disappearing before others returned was certainly possible, if it weren't for the fact that his clothes were no where in sight, and running around wrapped in a sheet would draw attention.   
  
Across the room from him the large oak door slid open to reveal a tall man dressed in scaled armor and rich clothing. Trowa's eyes immediately went to the man but he filled with relief as he realized it couldn't have been the one he remembered. The man from his disturbing memories was much larger then this one. Trowa's eyes moved from the man's face to a pile of neatly folded clothing in his hands.   
  
"I see you are awake," spoke the man in a soft voice. Crossing the room he set the pile of clothing on the bed then retreated back across the room with a short bow. He was obviously giving plenty of room to Trowa, trying to set him at ease.  
  
Trowa frowned. "Who are you? Where is this place?"  
  
"You are in the Imperial Palace of Kuto." He replied with another sort bow and a wave of his hand. "I am called Zechs."  
  
Silently Trowa mused over Zechs' words in his mind, and watched the older blond man. He didn't trust him one bit, but then again Trowa wasn't in the mood to really trust anyone at the moment. "How did I get here?" Trowa's eyes narrowed slightly. "Did you buy me from those slave traders?"  
  
"No."  
  
Zechs leaned backward against the wall and his face creased with a slight amount of worry and concern. "You were bought by another, by the name of Treize. Unfortunately we were not able to reach you in time."  
  
Trowa nodded slowly, his mind calling up the scattered images from before. He shook his head briefly to get rid of them. "He gave me… these injuries?"  
  
Zechs nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid your clothes were destroyed in your… encounter with Treize. I hope these will do." He motioned toward the folded pile of clothing lying on the bed next to Trowa.  
  
Leaning forward slightly Trowa moved around the clothing. The cloth was rich and soft, obviously palace finery. Like the room and Zechs' attire the outfit was a combination of blues and greens. Trowa frowned slightly, wondering if the color of blue had any real significance. "Did you find another boy like me? Shorter, with blond hair?"   
  
"No, I don't recall any such boy. If he were dressed as you were we would have heard of him. News of rare slaves travels quickly."  
  
Trowa nodded, that made sense. But if Zechs had not heard of Quatre then that meant there was a good chance Quatre had gotten away from the slave traders. Still, Trowa wasn't sure if that situation was any better. They both certainly weren't in their world any more, so virtually anything could have happened to Quatre… even something worse than what had apparently happened to himself. Trowa shuddered slightly at the thought and quickly dismissed it.  
  
"If you wish I will have my servants search him out. The empire is large but we should have no trouble finding one in your clothes with blond hair."  
  
"Yes, if you could."  
  
"Of course." Zechs gave a short bow. "I'm afraid there are matters I must attend to. The palace is open to you, however given your current state I would request you stay within the walls. It is likely that if you stray beyond the palace walls you will run into Trieze's men."  
  
"I understand." Trowa murmured softly.  
  
Zechs nodded and exited through the door, closing it behind him.   
  
For a moment Trowa just sat in bed, glancing at the clothes which lay before him. Taking a deep breath he pushed himself out of the bed, despite the protests of his aching body, and slowly worked himself into the blue robes. Despite the seemingly large amount of them they were surprisingly light and comfortable. Not to mention that the cool silk felt comforting against his bruised body. Testing out his legs he moved slowly around the room and walked over toward the shrine.  
  
Trowa knelt down in front of the shrine to get a better look at the dragon figurine. It was a beautifully crafted Chinese style dragon swirling out of a crystal blue lake. Trowa's eyes traveled down the statue to find engraved letters on the front of the shrine.  
  
"The Guardian of Seriyu?"  
  
Trowa furrowed his brows. "Strange."  
  
**  
  
Zechs passed through the hallways, his cloak whispering against the ground. As he walked another form fell into step behind him, covered in shadows and walking with silent steps. Zechs continued down the hallway for a moment not seeming to notice the other then spoke softly, still walking.  
  
"There was another boy with him."  
  
"So I heard," replied the shadow behind him in an equally soft, yet calm voice. "You should not have used my name."  
  
Zechs gave a shrug and turned down another empty hallway. "It may come in handy in the future for him to know who 'bought' him, rather than some shadowy figure he will never see." Zechs smirked slightly as he stopped before a large iron bolted door. He turned back to his shadowy companion. "Do you supposed the other boy is likely to have powers of one of the four gods as well?"  
  
The shadow rubbed his chin for a moment in thought. "That would stand to reason, certainly. Nevertheless we should not underestimate either of them."  
  
"Yes, have the servants start looking for him immediately and assign someone to keep an eye on our guest. I do not want him leaving the palace. We can not afford for him to disappear. Not yet."  
  
The shadow nodded and stepped back, melding in with the shadows of the wall. Meanwhile Zechs entered the iron doored room, shutting it securing behind him.  
  
**  
Quatre - Preist of Suzaku  
Trowa - A student who got sucked into the book with Quatre  
Catherine - Trowa's twin sister  
Heero - Emperor of Konan, Suzaku warrior  
Duo - Female in Heero's harem, a Suzaku warrior  
Relena - Also a female in Heero's harem and a Suzaku Warrior  
Zechs - Mysterious man who rescued Trowa from the slave market  



	4. Chapter 3

Title: Mysterious Waltz  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Author: Snow Tigra  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: 1x2x1, 3x4x3 (more to come)  
Warnings: AU, crossover, insanity (but in a good way), gods, priests, priestesses, cliché thugs and butchered history lessons, implied rape :(.  
Spoilers: small spoilers for Fushigi Yuugi  
Archive: Fanfiction.net, Insane Gundam Yaoi Crossover Page  
  
Part 3  
  
**  
  
Relena took a deep breath and gathered her wits about her as she stood before the door which led to the royal chambers. Heero rarely called the harem women to his chambers so it must be something important. Relena smiled quietly as she entertained a forbidden thought. Perhaps he had finally chosen his Empress. Raising her hand she placed a sharp and urgent knock on the doorframe.  
  
For a moment there was no answer then Heero's voice came from within. "Enter."  
  
Relena slid the door open and stepped in, a bright smile painted across her face. As soon as she entered the room she slid the door shut behind her. "Heero-sama," she said with a small bow. "Where did you disappear to earlier today?"  
  
Behind herself Relena heard the door begin to slide open and she quickly reached backward, stopping its movement with her hand. Quickly she stepped between Heero and the door, blocking his view of the person attempting to enter the room.  
  
"Hey! Wait for me," Duo said with a glare focused directly on the back of Relena's neck.  
  
"Relena, let Duo in." Heero stated flatly, his face completely blank as he sat in his ornate chair, waiting. No one seemed to notice Quatre standing off to the side in the corner of the room, and for that the blond was grateful. He wasn't about to enter in between the Emperor and this 'Relena' again, considering the anger he'd received from Heero about it last time.   
  
"Yeah, let me in," echoed Duo angrily.   
  
Relena frowned with disappointment and stepped to the side, allowing the other female to enter the room before sliding the door shut.  
  
Duo stepped into the room with a wide grin painted on her face and immediately looked at Heero, stepping in front of Relena. She glanced to the side and noticed Quatre standing in the room, her eyes growing wide.  
  
"What the…? Oi, Heero-sama, what is this? A double date? Ohhhhhh wait, I get it, it's an or-"  
  
"Duo," Heero cut her off quickly.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Duo snickered and smiled innocently. "Hai."  
  
Clearing his throat Heero directed his attention to both women. "Duo, Relena, I called you here to meet this man, Quatre Winner." He nodded toward Quatre and Relena turned to face Quatre, squitnizing him.  
  
"I recognize you, I ran into you outside the palace. Wait…" Relena marched right up to Quatre, sticking out an accusing finger. "You lied to me about what direction Heero-sama went in, didn't you!" She demanded angrily.  
  
Quatre swallowed and sweatdropped. Raising his hands in defense he began to back away. "I'm sorry but he said-" But Quatre was interrupted as he was suddenly knocked to the floor by Duo in a GLOMP of massive proportions.   
  
"Kawaii!!" Duo squealed happily. "Heero-sama, where did you find him?"  
  
"What the… please get off me." Quatre struggled against Duo but was unable to get the woman off of him as she hugged and cuddled him. Quatre finally just gave a sigh and gave up, looking at Heero with pleading eyes.  
  
"He is from another world, the priest of Suzaku." Heero replied to Duo's question.  
  
"Ummm… but isn't the legend about a priestess?" Relena asked quietly, the confusion quite apparent on her face.  
  
Heero gave a short nod. "That is true, however he is protected by the power of Suzaku…" Heero trailed off as he glanced over at Quatre who was once again struggling to get out of Duo's grip. "Most of the time," he amended.  
  
"Someone help?"   
  
"Duo, release him." Heero stated with a nod.  
  
Duo responded with a pout but let go, returning to standing and brush off her robes. "As you wish, your highness."  
  
Standing up Quatre sighed with relief, and quickly backed away from Duo.  
  
"So what exactly did you call her here for?" Relena asked quietly, shooting an angry glance at Duo. Duo gave a very unlady-like snort.  
  
"The same reason you're here, ojo-san."  
  
Relena growled and bared her teeth. "I told you to STOP calling me that!"  
  
"That's enough, both of you." Heero growled and both quickly shut up.  
  
Stepping between the two bitter rivals Heero gave them both severe looks to make sure they stayed silent. He then turned to Relena. "Duo IS here for the same reason you are, Relena." Turning to Duo he reached out toward to top hem of her dress.  
  
Duo's eyes went wide and she immediately backed up, bringing up an arm to block his hand and hold her robes shut. "H-heero-sama! I wasn't serious before, honest!"  
  
Heero just shook his head. "Baka. No, there is a symbol near your shoulder, is there not?"  
  
Duo immediately seemed to relax and nodded, chuckling nervously. "Oh that. So I've been found out have I? Heh, well I guess that's where harem gossip gets you. Well, sure as my name is Duo, I run, I hide, but I never lie…" Reaching up Duo folded down a corner of her robes to reveal a glowing red symbol just at the nap of her neck.   
  
Quatre stepped forward and furrowed his eyebrows. "It looks like the sign for… Gemini? A constellation?"  
  
Heero nodded and turned back to Relena. "Your hand, Relena. It has a similar symbol, does it not?"  
  
Relena shook her head quickly. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Duo threw her a skeptical look as she closed the top part of her dress. "You do to, ojo-san. The harem gossip isn't just about me, you know."  
  
"Relena," Heero muttered in warning.  
  
Relena opened her mouth to protest again but sighed heavily instead, deciding against it. Silently she raised her hand and a red symbol blazed to life on her palm. Once again Quatre walked up to her and looked at the symbol. "Cancer, the crab."  
  
Duo grinned and snickered. "It fits," she muttered earning yet another glare from Relena.  
  
Heero nodded and pulled down the neck of his robes to reveal yet another similar red symbol on his neck. Duo and Relena's mouths dropped open. "The twins, the crab and myself, the sea serpent. Quatre, these symbols mark each of us as a warrior of the ancient god Suzaku. As the priest of Suzaku we are at your command." Heero gave a small bow in Quatre's direction and Quatre took a step back, looking completely confused.  
  
"Now wait just one second. I don't understand any of this. Just who, or what, is Suzaku?"  
  
Duo grinned. "You don't know the names of the four gods? Man, you really aren't from this world." Duo shook her head and glanced at Heero, who nodded, giving her permission to explain. She leaned against the wall of Heero's chambers and folded her arms. For a moment she just stood there, gathering her thoughts, then glanced back to Quatre and began to explain.  
  
"It is said that our world is ruled over by four gods, each with a kingdom of their own. See, Konan-which is where you are right now-is the kingdom of Suzaku, the red phoenix."  
  
"And the other gods?" Quatre asked quietly.  
  
"Let me see, there's Genbu… it's supposed to be a green turtle that's mating with a snake, which is really strange and I don't understand it. And Byakko, which is this really neat looking white tiger and…" Duo paused and scratched her head. "And the other one is this really creepy looking blue dragon… but I can't remember its name."  
  
"Seriyu," Relena supplied in a quiet voice.  
  
"That's it!" Duo agreed with a snap of her fingers.   
  
"And what exactly am I supposed to do as the priest of Suzaku?" Quatre asked, glancing back toward Heero.  
  
"It means you are the only one who has the power to save our empire, Konan. In return, you will be granted the power to make your dreams come true. Can you accept this responsibility? Will you?"  
  
Quatre opened his mouth to respond but stopped, swallowing. "I…"  
  
"Wait one second," Relena interrupted heatedly. "You mean that because of some stupid symbol I now have to obey him?" She crossed her arms and shook her head. "Absolutely not."  
  
Heero glared at her. "That is not your choice to make. Relena, I order you to-"  
  
"No." Quatre spoke quickly and Heero paused, looking at him in surprise. "You can't order her. I mean I haven't even agreed yet. And anyway it would be much better if she agreed on her own. That would make it easier for us to work together… that is if I agree."  
  
Heero thought for a moment then turned back to Relena. Taking a deep breath he spoke quickly in a low voice. "Relena… It would… makemeveryhappyifyouwouldhelp." Immediately he shut his mouth and looked away as if those words actually had caused him physical pain.   
  
"Well if you put it that way, I guess…" Relena smiled widely. "Oh course I will!"  
  
Quatre sighed. "I think I need to really think about this. Can I borrow a room for the night or something?"  
  
Heero nodded. "You're welcome to stay as long as is necessary, there is a room down the hall from my chambers you may use."  
  
Duo grinned and stepped toward Quatre. "Spending the night, huh?" she said quietly, fixing her eyes on Quatre.  
  
Quatre swallowed. "Yeah, ummm… alone." He ran a hand through his hair, nervously. "I need to think." And with that and a small bow he exited the room. "Night."  
  
**  
  
Catherine sighed softly and shut the door to her room, dropping herself onto the bed along with the thick book. She'd hated having to steal it from the library but there was no way they were going to let her check-out a reference book and they certainly weren't going to let her stay in the library reading it.   
  
Retreating to the kitchen she grabbed a can of pop and quickly raced back toward the room she usually shared with her twin brother. She moved just fast enough because as she shut the door she heard her mother's voice.  
  
"Cathy? That you?"  
  
"Yeah," she yelled back through the door.  
  
"Is Trowa with you?"  
  
Catherine bit her lip. "Yeah mom, we're heading to bed, it's late."  
  
"All right, good night, hon."  
  
Catherine breathed a sign of relief as she heard her mom walk away from the door and down the hall to do her own stuff. She glanced at her brother's neatly made but empty bed. Where had he disappeared to?  
  
No, she knew the answer to that question, after all she'd glanced in the book when they'd disappeared and seen the name. Her brother's name was in the book, and she recognized that blond boy from one of her friend's classes so she knew his name was Quatre. And his name was in the book too. Some how they had both been sucked into the book, either that or this was an elaborate practical joke. But it couldn't be a joke, who in their right mind would take this much effort? It certainly wasn't something Trowa would do.  
  
Snapping open the can of pop Catherine took a seat on the floor and brought the large red volume into her lap. Taking a drink she opened it to the next page.  
  
On one side there was a traditional line drawing of a young boy trying to sleep in a bed but he was tossing and turning. A nightmare? Catherine glanced to the words and began to read.  
  
"That night the Priest of Suzaku had a dream about his friend…"  
  
**  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Quatre glanced around the old and musty halls of the library. All around him were shelves upon shelves of books, all reaching off into eternity and back. No matter what direction he looked in there was nothing else, just books without an end in sight.  
  
Turning around in a full circle he was surprised to discover something he hadn't seen the first time he'd looked around. Now there was a shadowy shape leaning against one of the shelves with a thick blue book in his hand, holding it reverently as he carefully read and turned the pages.  
  
"Trowa?"  
  
The boy didn't respond, instead he just turned the next page. He was silent yet his lips moved slowly as if he were reading the book out loud but no words came from his mouth. Quatre walked toward him and looked down at the book.  
  
He noticed immediately the it looked just like the red book they'd been sucked into, the Universe of the Four Gods. Heck, it even had the same title. The only major difference was that this book was bright blue and not red. Quatre furrowed his brow, it didn't make sense. Why was the book blue?  
  
Crouching down he looked under the book and tried to read the name under the title, the place where his name should have been on the scroll. But as he read the name written there his legs gave out and he stumbled to the ground, growing cold.  
  
"Trowa…"  
  
His eyes widened as he tried to read the last name but he couldn't, Trowa's fingers covered it up. Quatre jumped up quickly.   
  
"Why is your name on the book? Trowa? What happened to you?"  
  
The boy still didn't make any move to respond, but the book did. Suddenly the world around him flared with a bright blue light, engulfing everything. Quatre shielded his eyes and cried out as everything around him dissolved into blue and he felt like he was sinking.  
  
**  
  
Quatre sat up in bed gasp and blinked the sleep from his eyes immediately. His breaths came in quick gasps as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Panicking he realized he wasn't even dressed in his own clothes! Instead he was wearing a light silk nightgown and nothing else. Swallowing hard he took a deep breath and managed to get his mind to calm down. As he relaxed he began to remember what had happened.   
  
He'd been in the library with Trowa and they had discovered a strange book with a red cover, called the Universe of the Four Gods. And then they'd appeared in this strange world… and now he was supposed to be the Priest of Suzaku? Quatre hugged himself tightly and chewed on his bottom lip in thought. He was supposed to become this strange priest and gather the power of Suzaku… and then he would get all his wishes granted? It certainly sounded like a good deal, but it also sounded far too good to be true.   
  
Sliding out of the bed he slipped his feet into the silk slippers Heero's servants had provided him and pulled on a thicker robe to keep away the cool early morning air. Quatre walked out of the room and outside onto the veranda attached to his room. Glancing up at the slowly fading stars he sighed, he couldn't decide what to do.  
  
While the idea of becoming a priest or something and getting all his wishes granted sounded great he actually just wanted to go home. This world was interesting, and everything he'd ever dreamed of in his fantasy novels. But it was one thing to read about such fantasy worlds, and another thing completely to live in one. The nicest thing about fantasy novels was that if you didn't like how they were turning out you could just set them down and find another one, just leaving the one you didn't like to be forgotten. He couldn't do that here, and frankly it kind of scared him.   
  
Closing his eyes he tried to calm his rising panic about his situation, and an image flashed in his mind. That boy from the library, Trowa… he'd completely forgotten about him in all this information about being the Priest of Suzaku. Quatre's eyes flew open and he raced back into his room.   
  
"I completely forgot about him!" Scolding himself he stripped out of the sleeping robes and quickly dressed in his school uniform again. Before he left he wrapped a cloak around his body to disguise his obviously foreign clothing, then raced out of the room silently and headed for the gate of the palace. "I have to find him, priest or not."  
  
Quatre ran so fast and was so worried about slipping past the guards unnoticed that he didn't see Duo step out of the shadows from behind his room with a frown on her face.  
  
"Now where is he off to?"  
  
Shrugging silently she lifted her skirts and followed him.  
  
**  
  
Quatre - Preist of Suzaku  
Trowa - A student who got sucked into the book with Quatre  
Catherine - Trowa's twin sister  
Heero - Emperor of Konan, Suzaku warrior  
Duo - Female in Heero's harem, a Suzaku warrior  
Relena - Also a female in Heero's harem and a Suzaku Warrior  
Zechs - Mysterious man who rescued Trowa from the slave market  
  



	5. Chapter 4

Part 4  
  
**  
  
Quatre spent the next few morning hours searching throughout the entire city, speaking with all the people he could and asking about Trowa's whereabouts. It was somewhere around noon that he finally decided to give it a rest, especially since his stomach was crying out from lack of food. Quatre chose a empty crate in an alley to sit on and watched the crowd before him as he pondered the situation.  
  
He'd searched for most of the morning and yet there was no sign of Trowa. Not a single person in the city had even heard of a boy matching his description and he was no where in site. Quatre couldn't think of what else to do, aside from becoming the priest and wishing for Trowa to return to him. But the whole problem with that idea was while he was the priest he had no idea what was happening to Trowa. What if he was hurt somewhere… and Quatre didn't call for him with Suzaku's power in time? What if the slave traders had him and he'd been sold…  
  
Quatre shook his head to chase away the unpleasant thoughts but they remained in the back of his mind. No, becoming the priest was out of the question until he found Trowa. Besides, he had no guarantee that becoming the priest would even grant him the power Heero had spoken of. It was perfectly plausible that the entire thing was just some old myth that actually meant nothing in real life. He couldn't take that chance, he had to find Trowa first.  
  
Quatre's sighed as his stomach growled again. "I guess I should have eaten something before I left," he muttered quietly. "Oh, where could he be?"  
  
There is the sound of quick footsteps behind him and Quatre turns to look, but before he can he is knocked to the ground and a pair of arms wrap around him tightly.   
  
"There you are! Who are you looking for, hmmm? I was back at the palace!"  
  
"Duo?!" Quatre's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"  
  
Duo snickered. "Following you, silly."  
  
Quatre coughed and tried to push her away. "Lady Duo, please, I can't breathe…"  
  
With a bright smile Duo let go and stood back up, offering Quatre a hand to help him to his feet. "Seriously, where are you going Quatre? It's dangerous for you to just wander around the city without a guard, you're lucky I followed you. You could have gotten into some really big trouble."  
  
Quatre turned and glanced back toward the crowds of people carrying about their everyday business and sighed. "I was looking for someone."  
  
"Someone? What do you mean? How is it that you know someone in this world?"  
  
Quatre shook his head and sat back down on the crate. "No, he's not from this world. He arrived with me, but we were attacked by slave traders or something and he told me to run. When I looked back he was gone. I want to find him… I'm afraid something bad has happened."  
  
"Cheer up, Q-man." Duo said with a grin, patting him on the shoulder. "You're the priest of Suzaku now, all you have to do is call Suzaku and wish him back."  
  
Quatre shook his head. "I haven't even agreed yet, and besides that I have this nagging feeling that something horrible will happen while I'm concentrating on being the priest. I want to find him now, I'm afraid to wait."  
  
"No problem. You're the priest, and you have your five warriors… err well you have three of the five warriors, but anyway we're bound to your service. So all you have to do is ask us to help you look for him. That's five more people helping you and then you don't have to wander around alone, besides, I'm sure Heero-sama would help too if you asked. And he has so many guards and money that we'd find your friend in no time."  
  
Quatre seems to brighten up at her suggestions. "Is it really that easy?"  
  
"Well, yeah, not that I've tried it or anything, but all you have to do is ask right? What's the worst that could happen?" Duo smiled brightly. "I'll help no matter what they say."  
  
"Thank you, Duo!"  
  
Duo grinned and gave Quatre a quick rib-crushing hug. "Great, now lets get back to the palace and bug them about it, ok?"  
  
Quatre nodded and followed Duo toward the exit of the alley, but just as they were about to step out on to the street a large shadowy figure stepped into their path and blocked them from the street. The large man was dressed in a black cloak that was too small to hide his bright blue armor. At the sight of the man Quatre stepped back and spun around, only to find their other entrance blocked by another man dressed in the same armor.  
  
"Sorry, but you won't be heading back to the palace, least not the one you're thinking of." The first armored man sneered. From beneath his cloak he unsheathed a large sword and pointed it toward them. Duo's eyes narrowed as she noticed the blue scale covered hilt of the sword.  
  
"Shimatta! Quatre, they're Kuto soldiers, get back!"  
  
"But-" Quatre shut his mouth quickly and backed away, but immediately turned around to face the other soldier, realizing there was nowhere for him to 'get back' too. "Duo…" he murmured in worry, Duo took a moment to glance over her shoulder and spotted the other guard, she swore again under her breath and backed up to guard Quatre.  
  
"We only want the boy, you're free to go if you don't put up a fight." Growled the first soldier.  
  
"But then again, a female from the Emperor's royal harem would be a fun captive," one of the others added with a leer.   
  
Duo's eyes narrowed and she rolled up her sleeves. "I'm the only one who's going to have any fun here, buddy!" A mischevious grin spread across her face as she cracked her fists.  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
Duo only grinned. "Yep!" With that she pounced forward and pulled her fist back, nailing the one who'd made the nasty comment with the meanest right hook Quatre had ever seen in real life. The man immediately doubled over with a cry of pain, dropping his weapon to the ground, but nowhere within Duo's reach.   
  
Behind Duo the first guard raced toward her, swinging his sword. Quatre watched Duo spin around, her long braid whipping over her shoulder and her red symbol glowing so bright it shown through the many layers of clothing. For a harem girl she certainly knew how to fight! As soon as the man got close enough she dropped to the ground and kicked out her foot, hitting him straight in the knee. The man tumbled to the ground with a loud thump.  
  
Duo turned back to Quatre and opened her mouth to tell him to run but she was cut off as the soldier she'd just tripped grabbed the end of her dress and yanked hard, sending her tumbling to the ground. As soon as she hit the ground the man wrapped his thick and strong arms around her tightly and pulled them both to their feet. The man leered at Quatre.  
  
"Let me go, you big ugly oaf!" Duo spat out as she struggled against his rock hard grip.  
  
Quatre moved toward Duo, not sure what to do, when the other soldier grabbed him from behind.   
  
"Quatre!"   
  
"No… let… me… go!" Quatre gave a cry of frustration as he struggled and suddenly the alleyway flooded with a bright red light. The man holding on to Quatre immediately let go, tumbling to the ground and screaming about burns on his skin. Duo watched in amazement as bright and lively red flames danced around Quatre yet didn't burn him. Instead the sandy ground below him turn black as it was scorched and began to resemble glass, and Duo could feel the heat even though she was being held a ways away.  
  
"Well I'll be damned," she murmured. "He really is the Preist of Suzaku."  
  
The flames danced around Quatre for a few minutes as he just stood there in shock then they died down and Quatre crumbled to the ground, unconscious.  
  
"Quatre!?! No! Now is not the time to take a nap, dammit!" At that moment the cold metal of a sword met with Duo's neck and the man holding her spoke in a hiss.  
  
"Stay quiet, or I swear you will never wake up again."  
  
Duo swallowed her anger and bit her tongue hard as she watched the man with the burned arms move timidly toward Quatre. His arms were burnt so bad they'd already started to blister and peel away, not a pretty sight that was sure. His armor was no longer the brilliant blue scales of the Kuto Empire, but was instead a charred ugly brown and in many places it had cracked. Duo glanced down and noticed with amazement that the ground under Quatre had indeed turned into a flat sheet of glass, wow that was some power!  
  
As the men pulled the unconscious Quatre and the silent Duo into a waiting carriage a single shape stepped out of the shadows and watched quietly. Almond shaped eyes watched them without any emotion as they disappeared. Twisting his staff slightly, and causing it to jingle, he tapped his Frisbee-shaped straw hat and stepped back into the shadows, disappearing once more from sight.  
  
**  
  
"HEERO-SAMA!"  
  
Heero winced as he heard Relena's voice cut through the air of the throne room and a second later she came racing in, holding her skirts high so she didn't trip. Gasping for air she stopped in front of the throne, a worried look across her face. She opened her mouth to explain her rush, but then remembered etiquette and dropped into a clumsy bow first.  
  
Well, at least she remembered her manners, Heero commented in his mind. He raised an eyebrow in question.  
  
"The priest… Quatre… he's… missing!"  
  
Heero stands up from his throne quickly. "What? What do you mean he's missing?!"  
  
Relena took a deep breath of air and tried to calm her rapid breathing from the run. "I went to check on him this morning and he wasn't in his room. And Duo's missing too… they weren't anywhere in the palace."  
  
Once Relena pointed it out Heero realized that that morning had been the first in a long time where Duo hadn't tried to convince the guards to let them eat breakfast together, as she always tried to do. And he hadn't see her in the hallway between his chambers and the throne room either, which was quite strange. At the time he'd passed through said hallway his mind had been on the priest so he hadn't really thought about it, but now that Relena mentioned it… Either Duo had taken deathly ill or she wasn't in the palace.  
  
"Are you sure you checked everywhere?" He asked with a frown.  
  
Relena nodded quickly but stopped. "Well… I checked everywhere for the priest."  
  
"Figures," Heero muttered under his breath. Relena couldn't care less if Duo rolled over and died. "Guard!" Heero called out loudly, three guards immediately stepped into the throne room and dropped into low bows. "Take several men with you and conduct a complete search for both the Preist of Suzaku and the Lady Duo, I want them found!"  
  
"Hai!" All three guards nodded once and headed for the door to begin the search when a soft voiced echoed into the room, dancing through the air around them.  
  
"You won't find them."  
  
Heero moved quickly and a breath later had his sword in his hand. Whirling around he faced in the direction the voice seemed to have come from, sword ready. He glared angrily at the shadows.  
  
"Who's there?" Relena asked quietly.  
  
Heero, Relena and the guards watched as a man seemed to fold out of the shadows and become solid right in front of their eyes. He moved out of the shadows as if they were a door to be stepped through. He wore a simple outfit of gray lose pants and a white shirt, with a dark blue and red sash tied from his shoulder to his waist. A large straw hat shaded the majority of his face while in his right hand he clutched a long golden staff with an ornate top filled with many rings. As he stepped out of the shadows he touched the staff to the ground, causing the rings to jingle.  
  
"They are no longer within your empire," he murmured softly as he took off the hat, revealing his hair to be black and fall in loose waves across his shoulders. His almond colored eyes met with Heero's, but he said nothing more.  
  
"They are in Kuto," Heero murmured, placing the pieces together in his mind.  
  
The strange man nodded. "They were taken this morning by Kuto soldiers. By now they are well past the border."  
  
"You saw this?"  
  
The man nodded once more.  
  
Heero's hand tightened in anger around the hilt of his sword. "Then why did you not help them?"  
  
At those words the man's eyes narrowed and his emotionless mask seemed to break. "They were weak," he murmured. "If they can not defend themselves then they do not deserve my help."  
  
Heero took a step toward the man in anger. "This palace's security is air tight, there is no way you could have made your way in, unless you are a warrior of one of the four gods. You are helping us now so I assume you are one of us, a Suzaku Warrior."  
  
"You assume correct."  
  
Heero's voice grew dangerously low. "Then you had a duty to protect them!"  
  
The man shook his head. "No, I did not. The boy, the one you call the priest, has not agreed to such a fate yet and as thus is not the Priest yet. It is better he taste how dangerous his tasks will be before he makes a decision. They will not kill him in Kuto, you know that as well as I. They wish only to prevent him from becoming the Priest of Suzaku. If he still agrees after this ordeal then I shall stand by his side in protection, but not before." The man's eyes met with Heero's blazing with anger. "The role of the Priest is not a game for mere boys to play."  
  
Heero growled at that but said nothing in response. Instead he whirled around and headed for the doors on his own. He fully intended to march right over to Kuto and take the Priest and Duo back with him, with or without the other warrior's help. He didn't care what this strange man said, he'd seen Quatre's powers and he wasn't about to let the boy be killed.  
  
As he reached the door to go outside his throne room a silent figure dressed in a gray robe caught his arm. Heero stopped and turned a deadly glare on the man. "You will let go of my arm," he commanded in a low voice.  
  
The silent man frowned but did not let go. "Heero-sama, as your top advisor I can not allow you to place yourself in such direct danger."  
  
"The life of one person doesn't matter. The Priest is more-"  
  
"But you, Heero, are no mere person. You are the Emperor of Konan and without an heir. If you were to die the empire would be thrown into chaos and Kuto would not give pause to take control. You can not afford to act so recklessly when such actions could lead to civil war and the deaths of your subjects."  
  
Heero gritted his teeth in anger.  
  
"Your advisor is correct," the man from the shadows said softly.  
  
Heero yanked his arm away from the advisor in anger but turned away from the door, returning to sit on his throne, brooding in anger and thought. Off to the side the man from the shadows turned back to shadows to disappear once more.  
  
"Wait," Heero spoke quietly, the anger mostly gone from his voice.  
  
The figure paused and glanced back at him in question.   
  
"If you are truly a warrior of Suzaku show me your symbol."  
  
The man nodded and slid the shoe off his right foot as he leaned on his staff. A red symbol blazed to life on the top of his foot. "Crater, the cup." He spoke quietly, then slid his foot back into his shoe. He glanced back to the Emperor "The boy is yours to deal with as you see fit. I will return when the Preist of Suzaku appears, be it him or not." Then he turned and stepped back into the shadows, dissolving into nothing.  
  
Heero glanced to the three guards still standing near the door and frowned. No point in sending them to search now. "I retract my last orders, dismissed."  
  
The guards bowed and left the room quickly.  
  
Meanwhile Relena glanced between Heero and his advisor, frowning. "What? You're kidding me right? No one is going after them?"  
  
"Relena, please leave. I need time to think."  
  
Relena swallowed quietly and opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it. With a short bow she left the throne room, as did Heero's advisor, leaving the young emperor to brood in his throne… and plan.  
  
**  
  
Duo placed her hand lightly on Quatre's shoulder and shook him a bit.  
  
"Quatre? Wake up already…"  
  
Quatre groaned quietly and rolled over onto his side, grabbing his head. After a few moments of holding his head as if it were in pain he managed to keep his eyes open and glance up at a very relieved Duo. "What…?"  
  
"Oh, good! I was beginning to get worried you weren't ever going to wake up. Do you remember what happened?"  
  
Quatre moved to sit up and winced as his head spun around quickly. He quickly closed his eyes until the dizziness went away. "I left the palace looking for Trowa… and we were attacked… and then everything turned red and hot." Quatre opened his eyes and looked around, trying once again to sit up. This time he managed without much protest from his aching body. "Where are we?"  
  
"We're in a cell in the Kuto empire. Those thugs that kidnapped us brought us here."  
  
Quatre frowned. "Kuto?"  
  
"Yeah, the kingdom to the East of Konan. Those slimy bastards always have one serious case of jealousy. They've always had some dumbass reason to hate us."  
  
Struggling to his feet Quatre walked over to the bars of the cell and glanced around the room, noting they are surrounded by numerous other cells, though the other all seemed to be empty. Leaning against the bars he turned back to Duo and hung his head. "Great, guess I really messed up, huh?"  
  
"Hey, it's not you're fault, Q-man. I'm the one who was supposed to be protecting you remember? You certainly gave it your best, I've never seen power like you showed there in that alley before."  
  
Quatre sighed and didn't look up. "What good is a power like that if I can't control it?"  
  
Duo stood up and walked over to Quatre, placing both her hands on the boy's shoulders. "Quatre, listen. If anyone screwed up it was me for not protecting you. In any case there's nothing we can do about it now so we just have to wait here and see what happens. We're still both alive and that's a major plus. So no worries, all right?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Quatre sighed softly and glanced away, to the cell across from them. He blinked in surprise as he thought he spotted movement. Turning away from Duo he looked into the cell with hope. "Is someone in there?"  
  
For a moment there was silence then a young girl stepped to the bars. She was dressed in dirty and worn-out robes with ruffled dark hair and dark blue eyes. Timidly she looked at them but still stayed a ways away from her bars as if they would bite or something strange like that. "My name's Hilde," she said quietly.  
  
"I'm Quatre and this is Duo, do you know a way out of here?"  
  
Hilde shook her head sadly. If I did I would have left a long time ago."  
  
"Hey," Duo interrupted suddenly. "Heads up, we've got company." She nodded toward the door where there was the obvious sound of key rattling. Hilde immediately sunk back into the dark corners of her cell, far from sight, while Duo and Quatre backed away from the bars of their cell.  
  
The thick wooden door swung open to reveal a man dressed from head to toe in shining blue armor with a bluish green cloak hanging from his shoulders. Light blond hair hung loosely across his shoulders and his blue eyes concentrated immediately on Quatre with intelligence. Quatre knew immediately that this man was smart, and he had a look on his face like he was accustomed to planning things and getting them to go his way, always. Quatre immediately didn't like him.  
  
The man spoke in a calm cool voice, directing all his attention to Quatre as if there was no one else in the room. "You are the one they call the Priest of Suzaku."  
  
It was a statement, not a question, but Quatre still felt compelled to nod before he could stop himself. His eyes widened as he watched the door to their cell swing open on its own accord, and the man nodded toward him.  
  
"You have but one chance to live, please step out of the cell."  
  
Quatre swallowed hard and glanced back at Duo in worry. He looked back to the man and took a deep breath, gathering his courage. "Why? What do you want me to do?"  
  
"You will step out of your cell and show me the power of Suzaku. You will fight against me with the power of Suzaku and then I will allow you and your friend to live."  
  
"I… I can't! I can't summon it at will!"  
  
The man nodded and turned away from them, the door to their cell swinging shut on its own once more. "Then you die in the morning." With those words he headed for the door.  
  
"Wait!" Quatre yelled quickly, Duo jumped forward and grabbed his arm.  
  
"Are you crazy? You can't fight him! Anyone can tell from his armor that he's a pro, you wouldn't stand a chance!" Duo turned her deep violet eyes toward the man. "If you're going to fight anyone, fight me!"  
  
The man turned back to them with a smirk of amusement on his face. "You have the fire of battle within you, true, and I have no doubt it would be entertaining. However, I desire only to see the power of Suzaku. Not the fists of a mere harem wench."  
  
Duo's eyes narrowed at those words but Quatre shook his head.  
  
"I don't want to fight you, there is no reason. All I want to do is find Trowa and go home."  
  
The man shrugged. "Well, Priest of Suzaku, it seems you have no choice."  
  
Quatre swallowed hard and bit his bottom lip. Taking a deep breath he gave a slow nod.  
  
"Quatre?! You can't be serious!"  
  
"It's my fault you're in this mess in the first place." Quatre turned back to the man and locked eyes with him. "I accept."  
  
**  
  
Quatre - The Priest of Suzaku  
Trowa - A boy sucked into the Universe of the Four Gods with Quatre  
Heero - Emperor of Konan, a Suzaku Warrior  
Duo - a lady in Heero's harem, also a Suzaku warrior  
Zechs - the mysterious man who saved Trowa from slave traders  
Relena - a lady in Heero's harem, also a Suzaku warrior  
Hilde - a young woman in the cells of Kuto  
  



	6. Chapter 5

  
Mysterious Waltz  
Part 5   
  
"Quatre! You can't fight him!" Duo raced forward as Quatre stepped out of the cage but the door swung back in her face, responding to the man in armor simply waving his hand. Quatre swallowed hard at the sound of metal crashing against metal but he did not look back toward Duo. Instead he focused all his attention on the armored man and tried to calm his fear, or at least hide it behind a mask of courage.   
  
"This isn't a fair fight and you know it!" Duo growled as she clutched the bars.  
  
The man ignored her and turned his attention to Quatre. Reaching to his belt he pulled out his other sword and tossed it to the ground at Quatre's feet. Quatre eyed the blade timidly, then slowly reached down and picked it up, struggling with its weight. He'd never held a sword before and now all he could do was wish he had taken up the chance to be in the fencing club at school, but it was a little late for that now. Gripping the sword's hilt with both hands he raised it in defense and watched the man silently, his brows knit with determination.  
  
"Show me the power of Suzaku and you shall live, that is all you need to know." The man unsheathed his own sword and raced forward, swinging in long but precise arcs.   
  
Quatre brought up his sword to block and the two lengths of metal slammed into each other with such force he almost dropped his sword. Quatre stumbled backward and gripped the sword until his knuckles went white, trying with all his might to keep hold of the sword despite the protest of his aching arms. Taking a deep breath he crouched to the ground and scurried along the floor, away from the man and his blade, to the other side of the room, near Hilde's cell. Quickly he stood back up again and whirled around to face the armored man.  
  
Not a moment too soon since the man was already moving and charging for him, sword headed straight for Quatre's chest. Biting his lip Quatre swung his own sword upward and once again the two blades met with a loud clang.  
  
Duo stood silently in the cell, her hands gripping the bars as she watched. For a young kid who obviously had never picked up a sword or started a fight before in his life Quatre was actually doing a pretty good job. Granted every single move he made was in defense but still, that was better then being impaled on the nameless man's sword. Much better. But why wasn't the power of Suzaku aiding him?  
  
She'd heard from Heero that the power of Suzaku had flared up when he'd attacked the boy… and it had also appeared in the alley when he was in danger. So that would lead one to believe that the power only appeared when Quatre's life was in danger. Well it was certainly in danger now so why wasn't anything happening? Was this danger not threatening enough?! Duo growled quietly in frustration. Why was it that magical powers always acted like a being of their own? They were never there to help when you needed them!  
  
Beyond Duo Quatre was still holding his own, barely. His arms now shuddered every time the blades met and it was obvious he was having trouble holding onto his sword. Sweat beaded down his face and his movements were slow, not to mention that his bangs had become soaked with sweat and were now hanging down over his eyes, obscuring his view. But he couldn't afford to let go of the sword and brush them away.  
  
The armored man swung his blade forward, moving it swiftly under Quatre's block and connecting the blade with the hilt just above Quatre's fingers. The blade soared into the air with a loud clang and sailed straight into Duo's cell, imbedding itself in the wall. Duo's eyes widened in fear as the blade swept past her face but she didn't move. Quatre had lost his weapon, and still the power of Suzaku hadn't appeared.  
  
"Oh man…" Duo whispered in fear. She knew what was coming next!  
  
Quatre stumbled backward and landed on the ground, his eyes locking with his attacker. He'd lost his sword, not that he would have been able to hold on to it much longer anyway, but he felt surprisingly naked without it. Mostly it was because he knew what was going to happen next. That strange red light hadn't appeared, which meant that he and Duo were dead. All this man had to do was swing his blade and…   
  
"It appears that you are not the Priest of Suzaku after all," the man murmured quietly. Was that a look of disappointment on his face? "I have no further need of you." The man raised his sword and swung it straight for Quatre's neck.  
  
Quatre gave a small cry and cringed on the floor, wrapping his arms around himself in a feeble attempt to block the sword. The blade swung in near his body then, suddenly, the world around him flared red. The man's sword was ripped right out of his grasp and thrown against the back wall near the door to the cell room, where it shattered into millions of small glittering pieces. Quatre sat up in surprise, his mouth hanging open, as the flames danced around his body for a moment more and then dropped away into nothing.  
  
"Yes!" Duo shouted in relief.  
  
The man glanced from Quatre to the shattered sword behind him, his expression guarded. Wasting no time he moved forward and punched Quatre hard in the stomach, knocking the air from his chest. Grabbing Quatre's shoulder, he pulled the boy to his feet and stalked over to a new cell. Yanking the door open he tossed Quatre in. Quatre landed against the wall with a cry as he slammed the door shut. Without another word he headed for the door to leave.  
  
"Hey! Wait a minute! You said if he was the Priest of Suzaku you'd let us go!"  
  
The man turned a devious smile on Duo, the kind that would make a person's skin crawl with disgust. "I recall saying I would let you live, not that I would let you go. You still have some use to me, it seems. After all, even if he is the Priest of Suzaku he did not win the fight nor did he earn your freedom."   
  
"You bastard," Duo hissed.  
  
The man merely shrugged off the insult and exited the room, locking the door securely behind him.  
  
After spitting in the man's general direction Duo moved to the side of her cell and peered across the way to Quatre's new cell, which was next to Hilde's. Quatre lay in the corner, coughing and holding his chest as he struggled to breathe again.  
  
"Quatre… are you all right?"  
  
Quatre coughed loudly once more and groaned, wrapping his arms around his body and his face contorting in pain. But he gave a slow nod and offered a very small smile in Duo's direction before dropping into a fit of coughs again.  
  
From in her cell Hilde moved out of the shadows and reached through the bars, placing a comforting hand on Quatre's sweat-covered forehead. Quatre offered her a small smile of thanks and just laid there on the cold floor, resting his aching body and throbbing arms.  
  
"We're going to get out of here," Duo muttered angrily as she walked over and grasped the sword lodged into the wall of her cell. Emitting a cry she pulled with all her might, yet the blade didn't give way. "I'm still working on the 'how' part, but don't worry, I'm sure I'll come up with something… uhhh… within the hour." Duo dropped back to the ground and rested her head on her fist as she thought.  
  
"Thanks… Duo…" Quatre whispered quietly.  
  
Hilde leaned up against the bars of her cell. "Am I… included in this escape plan?" She asked quietly.  
  
Quatre nodded, and then grabbed his head, wishing he hadn't, though he recovered quickly. "Yeah, I'm not leaving you here with that man."  
  
"What?" Duo sat up and looked at the two. "Wait one second, Quatre, we don't even know her! We don't even know if we can trust her!"  
  
Quatre fixed his eyes on Duo and he frowned. "You want to leave her in here?" He asked. "I don't."  
  
"But we… but she…" Duo gave a sigh of frustration. "All right fine, but at least tell us why you're in here, ojo-san."  
  
Hilde shrugged. "I'm not sure, they never told me. The Kuto warriors just charged into my house one day and threw me in here, without any explanation."  
  
"They had to have locked you away for something." Quatre moaned softly as he forced himself into a sitting position and looked at Hilde. "I don't know, maybe something about your family or a rumor…"  
  
"Well," Hilde paused and glanced away.  
  
"Well what?" Duo prompted, less then politely. "You steal something? Knock someone off? Insult that bastard's mother?"  
  
"Not really…" Hilde sighed and hugged her knees. "There was a rumor. One about me having a symbol on my body."  
  
Quatre's eyes went wide and he moved toward the bars separating their two cells. "A symbol?"  
  
Hilde shook her head. "It's not my fault! I have no idea what the thing is, it just… appears! And I can't get rid of it when it does!"  
  
"What does it look like?"  
  
Hilde frowned deeply and closed her eyes tightly in concentration. For a moment nothing happened then a small red light appeared on her forehead. It faded in and out for a second then suddenly blazed brightly, lighting up the room with an eerie red light. Quatre leaned forward. He frowned.  
  
"I don't recognize it… no wait. It's Virgo, the maiden."  
  
Hilde exhaled and the symbol faded away as she opened her eyes. "It sometimes appears when I want it to and always when I get angry. Otherwise I can't control it. It never disappears when I tell it to… what are you smiling at?" She frowned in Quatre's direction as she noticed the large smile forming on his face.  
  
"You're one of the Suzaku warriors!" Quatre said happily. He turned to Duo. "How many warriors are there supposed to be, Duo?"  
  
Duo thought for a moment. "Five, I think. Five warriors for each god…" She trailed off and glanced back at Hilde in wonder.  
  
"Then that means we're only missing one! She's one of the Suzaku warriors and there's only one more for me to find and then I can-"  
  
"Whoa! Take it easy, Q-man! But yeah, if she has the symbol she's one of us."  
  
"Now we just have to find a way out of here." Quatre declared with a grin.  
  
"Perhaps I can help with that."  
  
All three heads turned toward the door to find it open and the Emperor of Konan watching them, dressed in dark robes. In his hand he held a large ring of keys.  
  
"Heero-sama!" Duo cried with a bright grin.  
  
"Shut up, baka. You'll get us caught." Heero glared toward Duo and moved into the room silently, unlocking the doors to both Duo's and Quatre's cells. Duo immediately moved toward Quatre's cell and helped the boy to his feet, letting him lean on her shoulder.  
  
"Um, Heero, let her out too." Quatre nodded toward Hilde who watched them quietly from her cell.  
  
Heero raised an eyebrow in question, but doesn't comment. Instead he moved forward and unlocked her cell, figuring there would be time for questions later when they were safely back in Konan.  
  
"Let's get out of here," Duo murmured and they all followed Heero toward the door.  
  
Heero led them through the halls of the palace with complete silence, his eyes traveling the halls and on the watch for any sign of movement. He hadn't attacked any of the guards on the way in, knowing it would clue them in to intruders, and as a result they had to be extra careful not to be seen. Yet they didn't have far to go and there was a set of horses waiting for them in an empty alley just beside the Kuto palace walls so they shouldn't have much of a trouble getting away. Granted Hilde would have to share a horse with someone, and that might slow them down, but not enough to be worried about.  
  
As they moved silently Quatre eventually let go of Duo, electing to walk on his own so they could move faster. Rounding a corner he happened to notice a door which was slightly ajar. They passed by and he glanced in, and stopped cold. Blinking he looked again, not believing his eyes.  
  
"Quatre!" Duo hissed harshly as she noticed him stop at the door.  
  
Quatre just ignored her and continued to watch the two figures in the room. "Trowa?" he whispered under his breath.  
  
By now Heero and Hilde had stopped as well. Duo moved toward Quatre and seized his arm, meaning to pull him away from the door. But Quatre yanked his arm away and, as a result, lost his balance. Tumbling forward he hit the door and caused it to slide wide open, revealing the room beyond.  
  
It was a barren room of worship; all the walls painted in dark blues with no decorations or sources of light save for a single candle lit at the table where the two men sat. One was the man Quatre had fought against, and lost against, before dressed in his deep blue-scaled armor. The other was Trowa, dressed in a simple set of blue and green robes. As the door swung open Trowa jumped to his feet in surprise and whirled around.  
  
"Quatre?" He asked in surprise.  
  
"K'so!" Duo swore, her eyes meeting with the armored man from before, who was thankfully too stunned to react. Racing forward she grabbed Quatre and shoved him back toward Heero and Hilde, moving forward to protect him.  
  
The man's eyes narrowed. "It appears I was unwise to have left him alone."  
  
Heero glared. "Duo!" He shouted then, grabbing Quatre, he raced down the hall as fast as he could, Hilde following close behind. Duo took the hint and raced after them, pushing away her anger and urge for revenge for another time. Quatre struggled against Heero's tight grip on his hand the whole time, looking back over his shoulder toward Trowa.  
  
"Trowa!" Quatre cried out in protest.  
  
"Forget him," Heero snarled as they stopped near a window and he pulled the Priest of Suzaku with him on to the ledge. Not giving Quatre a chance to protest again he pulled him out the window. Hilde jumped out behind them and was soon followed by Duo.  
  
Trowa and the armored man raced to the window and made it there just in time to see them jump onto their horses and take off into he night. The armored man immediately called out to guards, ordering them to follow in pursuit.  
  
Trowa just stood at the window, confused, watching the place where they'd disappeared.   
  
"Quatre," he whispered quietly.  
  
**  
  
Quatre - the Priest of Suzaku  
Trowa - a boy sucked into the book with Quatre, he is staying in Kuto  
Heero - Emperor of Konan, a Suzaku warrior  
Duo - a female in Heero's harem, also a Suzaku warrior  
Relena - another female in Heero's harem, also a Suzaku warrior  
Zechs - the mysterious man who saved Trowa from slave traders  
Catherine - Trowa's twin sister, she is reading the Universe of the Four Gods  
Hilde - a Suzaku warrior who was trapped in the Kuto palace, but escaped with the others  



	7. Chapter 6

Part 6  
  
"Itai!" Quatre jerked back as Relena's hand touched his bare chest.  
  
"Hold still, I'm almost done." She scolded with a frown.  
  
Quatre nodded and winced as her cold hand rested on his chest and the glow moved from her hand across his body. It grew from a light gold to a bright red and covered his entire body with a comforting heat. After a moment the glow disappeared and Relena pulled her hand away to reveal most of the damage done by the armored man's punch was gone. Quatre looked down with surprise and stretched to make sure the pain was gone. He grinned back at her.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Relena shrugged and stood up, turning back to the others in the room. She settled her glare on Duo, who was now dressed in a clean dress and had her hair neatly braided once more. "Baka!" She yelled. "How could you have done that? You could have gotten Heero-sama killed!"  
  
"Me?! It wasn't my fault! I could have gotten us out of there no problem. Besides," she said pointing an accusing finger in Relena's direction. "I didn't see you rushing in to our rescue, ojo-san."  
  
Relena's eyes narrowed even more. "Why didn't you bring the Priest back as soon as you found him?" She countered. "You caused all this trouble by making Heero-sama sneak out of the palace to find you and into enemy territory! As for me rescuing you why would I want to? It's not a proper woman's place to get her hands dirty."  
  
Duo emitted a low growl and began to clench her hands into fists. "I'll show you proper!"  
  
"Duo! Don't!" Quatre yelled quickly.  
  
Duo dropped her fists but continued to glare at Relena. Beyond them the door slid open to reveal Heero back in his richly decorated robes. Immediately he fixed both Relena and Duo with a dangerous glare then turned his attention to Quatre. The Emperor didn't need to say anything, that one look had gotten his meaning across. The two women stopped glaring at each other and Duo walked over to the side of Quatre's bed, ignoring Relena.  
  
"How are you feeling, Priest?" Heero asked, stepping up to the bed.  
  
"Better, Relena's power made the pain go away. I think I can walk without stumbling now." Quatre offered a sheepish smile and Heero gave a nod of acknowledgement.  
  
"I don't mean to be rude," Hilde said, stepping out of the corner of the room. "But what is going on here? What's with her power and these symbols? And what was the Emperor of Konan doing in Kuto?"  
  
Heero turned and regarded Hilde with a suspicious glare. "We could ask equally as concerning questions of you. They say you are a Suzaku warrior, which is what your symbol would represent. If such is true then it is your destiny to protect and serve Quatre, the Priest of Suzaku."  
  
"That's news to me," Hilde said with a shrug and she scratched her forehead absentmindedly. "I guess I can't argue though since I have the symbol. So does this mean that I have powers like hers?" Hilde gave a nod in Relena's direction.  
  
"No one has powers like mine," Relena retorted rather smugly. Duo rolled her eyes.  
  
Heero ignored both of them. "The Priest was abducted along with Lady Duo and taken to Kuto. As one of the Suzaku warriors I can not allow either of them to be executed."  
  
"Well, I guess I should thank you then, even though you rescued me as a spur of the moment kind of thing. I shudder to think what Zechs would have done if you'd left me in there after finding out about my symbol."  
  
At her words Duo's eyebrows flew up and she glanced toward Heero quickly in question. Heero caught the look and took a step toward Hilde. "Zechs?" he asked.  
  
Hilde nodded. "The man who hurt Quatre… I heard them say his name when they brought me to the cell. I think they called him a general or something."  
  
Heero frowned at this new information, but shrugged it off a moment later. "In any case being that you are one of the warriors of Suzaku you are welcome to stay in the palace. However, I'm afraid the only room I have to offer is in the harem."  
  
At that Relena stepped forward. "In the harem? Why-what for?"  
  
Duo grinned and laughed. "It makes perfect sense, ojo-san. We can't very well have a female just staying anywhere in the palace; people in the kingdom might get ideas. Besides, the harem has the most comfortable rooms of the whole palace… and like Heero-sama ever comes to the harem anyway."  
  
"It's fine with me," Hilde added quickly. "Anything is better then that cell."  
  
"Relena, take her to a room and get her some clean clothes. Then show her around the palace so she doesn't get lost."  
  
Relena gave a short bow and nodded, then led Hilde from Quatre's room.  
  
After they left Quatre stood up and faced the two. "Anou… Heero, Duo…" He frowned and looked away from them, hanging his head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left the palace like that. I almost got us both killed." Quatre gave a quick bow and ran out of the room, not even looking back. Duo watched him leave in surprise and moved to follow, leaving Heero to walk back to his throne room in silence and thought.  
  
**  
  
Duo found Quatre a while later in the garden pavilion, sitting on a bench hugging his knees as he gazed out into the pond with sad eyes. Silently she slipped onto the bench beside him.  
  
"Quatre, nobody blames you for what happened."  
  
Quatre didn't respond, he just watched the pond quietly, seemingly not even noticing that Duo had sat down next to him. After a long moment of silence he moved to hug his knees tighter and sighed, burying his face from sight.  
  
"I know that," his muffled voice replied.  
  
"Then why so down?" Duo asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
Quatre lifted his head and gazed back out at the pond. "We just left him there, Duo. We left him there with that man…"  
  
"Him?" Duo frowned. "You mean the boy you were searching for? He was the other one in the room with Zechs?"  
  
Quatre nodded. "Trowa was the whole reason I left the palace in the first place and we just left him there."  
  
Duo regarded Quatre quietly for a moment, and then a small smile began to form on her face. "Oh, now I get it." She gave a quiet chuckle and stood to her feet, leaning against the railing that surrounded the pavilion.  
  
"Get what?" Quatre asked in confusion.  
  
"You, him, it all makes perfect sense." Duo turned around and faced Quatre, smoothing out her skirts. "You like him don't you?"  
  
Quatre sweatdropped, his depressed mood disappearing to be replaced by surprise and embarrassment. "What?"  
  
"You like him." Duo restated with an even wider grin. "You like this Trowa."  
  
"I do not!" Quatre protested feebly.  
  
Duo simply winked at him. "Oh come off it, you can't fool me. It's not like I'm going to tell or anything, so you can tell me the truth."  
  
"I honestly don't know what you're talking about." Quatre stood up and crossed to the other side of the pavilion, turning his back on Duo. "I just followed him to the library and then accidentally ended up with his book… and when I tried to return it we ended up here…" Quatre trailed off.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Quatre, you're not fooling anyone here."  
  
Quatre shook his head for a moment then sighed, remembering those bright emerald eyes in his mind. His cheeks reddened slightly. "Well I guess… maybe…"  
  
Duo chuckled and walked over to Quatre, nudging him in the shoulder. "Tell you what. I'll tell you my secret and then you'll know that your secret is safe with me, ok? So if I ever tell anyone you can just yell to the entire world what my secret is."  
  
Quatre frowned. "I wouldn't do that Duo, I wouldn't tell your secret anyway."  
  
Duo just shrugged. "Yeah, well, I need to tell someone, it's been bugging me for a while." She glanced toward him with what seemed like nervousness. "So can I tell you anyway?"  
  
Quatre nodded.  
  
"Well, heh, you see I love Heero-sama. But that's not really a secret is it?" Duo turned away from Quatre and pulled herself up to sit on the railing, glancing out across the garden with glazed over eyes. She actually appeared to be blushing. She remained silent for a moment then glanced around, making sure there was no one else who could listen in, then looked back to Quatre. "See, truth is I'm not really who I seem to be."  
  
Quatre frowned. "I don't understand."  
  
Duo sighed softly but retained her trademark grin. "I know you feel something for Trowa, because well… I feel the same way about Heero, but…" A sad expression crossed Duo's face as she played with the sash on her dress. "But I know he could never love me back."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Duo met Quatre's eyes and frowned. "He couldn't love me if he knew… knew that I'm not really a woman."  
  
"Not… really… a woman?" Quatre's eyes grew wide with realization. "You're a guy?!"  
  
Duo's face suddenly lighted up and she grinned brightly as if nothing ever happened. "Yep. Well, there you have it, Q-man. Your secret is safe with me and I won't tell as long as you won't tell mine. If you're really concerned about that friend of yours then you might want to go talk to Heero-sama about it. You're the Priest of Suzaku after all, so you've got some influence to throw around."  
  
Duo stood up and quickly walked off, away from the pavilion, tossing an excuse for her abrupt departure over her shoulder. "I'm going back to the harem to make sure Relena isn't driving Hilde up the wall, heh. See ya!"  
  
Quatre watched her walk away in silence and a small smile crossed his face. "Thanks for telling me Duo," he murmured. "You're secret's safe with me."  
  
**  
  
*Author's note: Duo will from here on be referred to as 'he' (since he is actually a guy and not a girl) but he is still wearing a dress until otherwise noted.*  
  
**  
  
Later that night Duo stepped out of one of the harem rooms into the hallway and paused. The hallway around him was almost pitch black save for a single lit torch down toward the other end. Turning slowly he faced a set of shadows and wasn't a bit surprised when the Emperor stepped out into view. Silently he thanked Suzaku that Heero hadn't followed him and Quatre to the pavilion earlier.  
  
Outwardly he chuckled and grinned slyly. "Never thought I would see you in this part of the palace," he joked.   
  
Heero frowned, the expression on his face deadly serious, despite Duo's playful and teasing tone. "We need to speak. This way."  
  
Duo picked up his skirts and followed quickly, dropping into step beside him as they moved down the hallway toward the throne room. Moon and star light shone in through the windows as the cricket chirped outside. Other than that the night was silent, and safe. They walked for a long time in silence until Duo decided to speak up.  
  
"You don't trust her," he spoke softly.  
  
Heero nodded and opened the doors to the dark, empty throne room. "Her story is too coincidental."  
  
Duo nodded in agreement, the trademark grin was gone from his face, this was serious business. "It is a bit strange that she just happened to be in the right place at the right time."  
  
"She knew the name of their commander, Zechs, which I find highly unlikely. Soldiers do not throw around the name of their general lightly. Either she was meant to hear it or she knew it long before she was thrown in that cell. There are too many questions she hasn't answered or conveniently doesn't know the answer to."  
  
Duo paused. "What about Quatre?"  
  
Heero responded with a shake of his head. "He doesn't need to know. He's troubled enough as it is, better to keep this in the dark."  
  
"All right, but we don't know for sure. For all we know she could be the fourth warrior."  
  
"Yes, but I am not taking any chances. Keep your eyes open for now. You are around the harem more then I and if I send guards to follow her she will notice. For the time being just keep an eye on her. That is all."  
  
Duo nodded and gave a small bow, then turned and left the throne room, leaving Heero to once again sit in silence and thought. Though this time, as the door closed, he noticed a small glowing of red light off to his left. Yet Heero didn't so much as turn his head as the familiar figure stepped out of the shadows.  
  
"You again," he merely stated softly.  
  
The figure walked up to the throne and removed his straw hat. "It appears all the warriors are assembled. Why are you not preparing to summon Suzaku?"  
  
Heero frowned. "There are other matters to attend to first."  
  
The man raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"  
  
"You've been around, haven't you?" Heero growled impatiently. "You should know the situation by now."  
  
"Of course. You… distrust that woman."  
  
A short nod. "That is what I feel, yes."  
  
"If you do not trust her then test her. The fifth of the Suzaku warriors is said to carry a fan of flames. If she is the fifth warrior she will have such a fan at her beck and call."  
  
"And if this man Zechs took it away from her before placing her in that cell?"  
  
The man offered a faint smile. "It is the weapon of a warrior of the Priest of Suzaku. Such weapons can not be taken away, and if they are they are available upon calling. If she is truly the warrior you seek then she will be able to summon her weapon in a time of danger."  
  
"Are you suggesting we purposely put her in danger?"  
  
The man shook his head. "There is no point in fighting that woman."  
  
"Then what would you suggest?"  
  
He shrugged; black silk hair falling from his shoulders. "Threaten her, ask her… which ever you prefer. But if she is the last warrior she will have the fan and you will be able to summon Suzaku. Do what you will, it does not concern me." The man placed his straw hat back upon his head and turned to leave once more.  
  
"Where can we find you, once we wish to start the ceremony?"  
  
The man paused but did not look back. "I will return when you assemble and all is ready."  
  
"And your name?"  
  
The man glanced back over his shoulder with a ghost of a smile. "Wufei," he said softly, then stepped into the shadows and disappeared. Heero frowned, he'd heard that name before but he couldn't place it. Standing up he moved to leave the throne room and head for the royal library but when he opened the door he found Quatre standing there in the moonlight, fidgeting sheepishly.  
  
"Priest?"  
  
Quatre took a deep breath, gathering up his courage. "I want your help. We need to go back to Kuto and save Trowa."  
  
"That boy you called out to?"  
  
Quatre nodded quickly.  
  
Heero frowned and shook his head. "Out of the question, it is too dangerous. We can not risk your life." Walking past the boy he headed down the hall for the imperial library, repeating the name in his head. Wufei, Wufei… why was it familiar?  
  
"Heero-sama."  
  
Heero paused as he heard Quatre's voice ring out, hard and cold. It was unmistakably an order for him to stop. Despite the fact that he was the Emperor he was also a warrior of Suzaku and therefor bound to listen to Quatre's orders. Resisting the urge to glare at the boy he turned around and waited for Quatre to speak. He knew it was dangerous to venture into Kuto again, but if Quatre ordered it… then he could not disobey. Silently he hoped Quatre wasn't smart enough to realize this, or at least wasn't angry enough to demand it.  
  
"Relena said you went against your advisor's wishes to come and rescue me, why is he any different? It's my fault he's in this world and…" Quatre's voice grew quieter. "What's the point of life if not to risk it for others?"  
  
Heero stood there, awe struck. For a child born of a different world Heero could have sworn he raised in Konan. Those were the exact words Heero's mother and father had spoken to him before they died and he took the throne. It had been the memory of those words which had sent him after the Priest in the first place even though he knew Advisor J was right and he couldn't afford to leave. He'd risked it anyway in a rare selfless act to save both Quatre and Duo. But to hear those words from Quatre now was quite a blow, and he found himself planning to return to Kuto, against his better judgement. Heero quickly shook his head to rid himself of such crazy thoughts.  
  
"It does not matter," he spoke with care, careful not to show in his voice what he truly felt. He truly did want to help, no matter how out of character for him it seemed. "Such a venture is an impossibility right now, you must trust me on this."  
  
Quatre clenched his fists in anger but it soon melted away and he frowned, his head dropping to look at the floor. "So what now?"  
  
"We prepare to call Suzaku."  
  
Quatre looked up in surprise at that. "But don't we need one more warrior? We only have four."  
  
"The final warrior will arrive when the time comes, he has said as much."  
  
Quatre smiled happily. "That's great! Then I can just wish for Trowa to return with me, and he'll be safe!"  
  
Heero nodded.  
  
"So… what do I have to do to call Suzaku?"  
  
**  
  
Quatre - the Priest of Suzaku  
Trowa - a boy who traveled into the book with Quatre, he is in Kuto  
Heero - Emperor of Konan, a Suzaku warrior  
Duo - a male pretending to be a female in Heero's harem, a Suzaku Warrior  
Relena - a female in Heero's harem, also a Suzaku warrior  
Wufei - a mysterious monk, also a Suzaku warrior  
Hilde - a Suzaku warrior found in Kuto  
Zechs - the general of Kuto and the one who saved Trowa from slave traders  
Catherine - Trowa's twin sister who is reading the Universe of the Four Gods  



	8. Chapter 7

  
Part 7  
  
"Catherine?"  
  
Catherine looked up from the book the next morning as her mother knocked on the door. The door swung open and her mother glanced around the room, finally settling her eyes on her. Catherine slowly closed the book, keeping one finger in to mark the page.  
  
"Have you seen your brother?"  
  
Catherine shook her head. "Ummm… he left early this morning to do some work with a friend… at the library."  
  
Her mother looked worried for a second then shrugged it off. "Listen I'm heading out and won't be back 'til late. You going to be ok?"  
  
Catherine nodded. Her mother left the room after that, shutting the door behind her, and leaving Catherine to return to her book. Slowly opening the book and turning it back to the page where she'd left off Catherine glanced back down at the words on the page and her brother's name.  
  
"Trowa," she said softly.  
  
With a deep breath she turned the page and began reading once more.  
  
"The Emperor left the Priest of Suzaku in the hands of his advisors in order to prepare. Meanwhile Emperor Heero went to his harem to confirm Hilde's identity. It turned out that Hilde did indeed have the fan that Wufei had spoken of, but Heero was still not reassured and required her to show her symbol. However his suspicions were shown false as the symbol for 'the maiden' appeared on her forehead. Satisfied the Emperor left without explanation, only telling them to prepare for the ceremony. Still the young Emperor worried as he slept that night. Something didn't feel right."  
  
Catherine stopped reading and gave a long sigh. Standing up she stretched and grabbed a snack from the kitchen. Returning to her room she regarded the book on her bed from her place in the doorway.  
  
"If only Trowa was the main character instead of Quatre… this is driving me insane not knowing what's going on with him!"  
  
Taking a drink of her newly opened can of pop she picked up the book and carried it into the living room where she dropped down on the couch in front of the fireplace. Sighing once again she turned the page and went back to reading.  
  
**  
  
Trowa walked silently through the halls of the Kuto palace, heading for the library. Beyond him the sharp early rays of the rising sun dropped spears of light across the hallway floors and walls, lighting the long passageway up with bright colors. As he walked Trowa pondered many things. He had long since gotten used to the strange blue and green robes Zechs had given him and now moved around in them as easily as if they were a second skin. Though he still would have preferred his usual set of jeans and turtleneck, or at least his school uniform, the long robes made too much noise for his comfort.   
  
Turning a corner he frowned. He was headed for the Imperial Library to learn more about this strange place. He didn't completely trust Zechs, but then he didn't really trust anyone. In any case, even if he had trusted Zechs completely, he needed more information before rushing head-on into things. He needed to learn about the strange blue dragon called Seriyu, which decorated the entire palace. Zechs had spoken to him and told him that Seriyu was one of four gods that protected this world but that wasn't good enough. He wanted to see proof of this, in writing if he could. Not to mention that he wanted to learn about the other three gods Zechs had mentioned.   
  
Genbu. Byakko. Suzaku.  
  
Especially Suzaku. He wished to learn about Suzaku the most because that was who controlled the Konan empire, which was where Zechs said that group had taken Quatre. Once he had gathered his desired information then he would decide the best course of action, but not before.  
  
He reached the library soon after and opened the door, to find Zechs sitting inside at one of the many tables, a worn out scroll in his hand. As Trowa stepped through the door the man stood and rolled up the scroll, giving a low bow.  
  
"We must speak."  
  
Trowa met his cold gaze and said nothing, he only nodded.  
  
"There is no time for further delay. We must strike the Suzaku warriors now." As Zechs spoke he placed the scroll back on the shelf. Trowa's emerald eyes followed his every movement and he immediately memorized where Zechs placed the scroll among the others, deciding to take a look at it later.   
  
His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"  
  
Zechs closed his eyes and spoke softly, leaning against the bookshelf. "They already have what they need to perform the ceremony, to summon Suzaku. If they succeed we will all be engulfed in his flames of destruction. Especially you."  
  
Trowa said nothing and gave no response; instead he waited silently for Zechs to explain further.  
  
"You are the Priest of Seriyu. So you would be the obvious one to eliminate. It would destroy all the power to resist that we have. Your death would mean that their Emperor, Heero, would enslave everyone of our nation. And I can assure you he will show no mercy, he is as ruthless as Treize."  
  
Trowa frowned; his skin crawled from the mention of the man who'd bought him at the slave market. But still, he wasn't ready to take just Zechs' word, not yet. "There is no guarantee of that," he murmured.  
  
Zechs pulled up a chair and sat down. "I only wish to protect you. I think this is a chance you should not take. Heero is ruthless beyond words; he killed his own parents at a young age to assume his throne. I'm sure he has conveniently forgotten to explain to the Priest of Suzaku that he can only summon Suzaku at the sacrifice of his own life." Zechs looked up and met Trowa's silent eyes. "You and our kingdom are not the only ones in danger. Everyone in the four empires is in danger if Suzaku is called."  
  
Trowa still didn't respond, electing only to mull over Zechs words in his mind, trying to decide carefully what to do.  
  
Zechs gave a great sigh. "If I were as ruthless as them I would have already had you summon Seriyu and you would be dead now. But I will not risk your life even if it means our loss. The choice is yours. I doubt, however, that Emperor Heero is as kind."  
  
Trowa frowned deeply. "You mean to tell me that…" he paused briefly. "Quatre's life is in danger?"  
  
Zechs' cold blue eyes met Trowa's. "He will be dead if the ceremony is completed."  
  
Trowa turned away and folded his arms across his chest in thought. For a long moment he just stood there, going over Zechs' word in his head and considering all possibilities. In the end he had to admit that Zechs had a point. Whether what he said was true or not Trowa couldn't risk them using Quatre to call Suzaku. If there was even the slightest possibility of it resulting in Quatre's death… it wasn't a chance he was willing to take. He spoke softly without turning back to face Zechs. "What would you suggest we do?"  
  
"You should come, and be the one to seize Quatre during the ceremony. He trusts you and will not put up a fight, no matter what they have told him to the contrary. That would maximize our resources and be the safest for you."  
  
Trowa closed his eyes and massaged his forehead. How could Quatre be siding with Konan? Was he siding with Konan? It sure seemed like it that night he'd been spotted in the palace. But it still bothered Trowa that Zechs hadn't told him Quatre was in the castle. Still… he couldn't afford to be wrong on this. "All right," he agreed, turning back to Zechs.  
  
"You have made a very wise decision." Zechs reached into his robes and pulled out a small half-mask. "I request that you wear this when we leave. It will protect you."  
  
Trowa took the mask carefully and turned it over in his hands. "Protect me? Please explain."  
  
"It has been specially crafted to hide the power within you. It would not do for you to reveal yourself as the Priest of Seriyu in their presence. This will help hide your identity from them until we are safely back in Kuto."  
  
Trowa looked down at the strange white mask with blue markings around the eye. Glancing back at Zechs he nodded. He would wear the mask.  
  
**  
  
Quatre leaned back in the fresh cool water, letting it cover his entire body up to his neck. He'd never dreamed that the Emperor's personal spring could feel so good. For a moment he closed his eyes and allowed himself to imagine what it would have been like if he were an emperor. To have a palace like this, complete with such springs. To be waited on hand and foot, to have his every wish fulfilled by a whole host of servants… and to have Trowa by his side.  
  
Quatre's face grew red at that thought and he opened his eyes, dismissing the tempting vision. From behind him he heard a soft chuckle and turned to see Duo sitting on a rock by the spring, towels in hand. The man wore his normal good-natured grin and a dress made of bright red silk with deep gold embroidery down the edges and curving along the sleeves. His long chestnut colored hair was coiled upon his head expertly and he looked every bit the royal harem girl… if you didn't know that he was a guy.   
  
"You're going to shrivel away if you stay in there much longer." The harem 'girl' commented with a grin.  
  
Quatre turned over in the water and leaned against a rock near the edge. "Duo, if you had three wishes what would you wish for?"  
  
Duo set down the towels and glanced up at the starry sky, his own eyes going a little starry. "Well, you know one of the wishes, Quatre. That Heero-sama could love me as much as I love him."  
  
"Can you do that? Can you wish for love?" Quatre sighed. "I always thought you had to wish for different things, that you couldn't wish things that would makes others feel differently."  
  
Duo shrugged. "Maybe… but I'd still wish for it. Because maybe it would come true."  
  
"What else would you wish for?"  
  
Duo snickered and tossed one of the smaller towels at Quatre, the towel landing on his head and covering his eyes. Quatre reached up and pushed the towel away but didn't let it land in the water.  
  
"Quatre, they're your wishes, you're the Priest, not me. You have to make your own wishes. And you don't need to make any for me or Heero. I'll make him love me on my own," Duo flashed a broad grin. "Besides, that's half the fun."  
  
"You're right," Quatre smiled.  
  
"Good, now get up here and dry off, the others are waiting. We're supposed to start the ceremony soon." Duo handed Quatre a large towel and gestured toward a pile of gold, red, white and orange colored clothing before gracefully bowing out and leaving Quatre to his own thoughts.  
  
Quatre dressed in silence, the entire time his mind was on one thing. What in the world was he supposed to wish for?  
  
**  
  
Quatre stepped into the room; his eyes set with determination. All around him the great hall of the palace was arranged for the ceremony to call Suzaku. Everything was ready. The four Suzaku warriors he had gathered - Heero, Duo, Relena and Hilde - all wore matching outfits of red, gold and yellow and stood at ready around a large ornate fire pit. The remaining Suzaku warrior, Wufei, stepped forward and gave a low bow to Quatre.  
  
"I am called Wufei, a monk from the temple of the five gods. I am at your service as a warrior of Suzaku."  
  
Quatre nodded. "Take your place," he said softy.  
  
Wufei rose to his feet and walked with silent steps to stand with the others. Meanwhile Quatre continued toward the open space on the other end of the fire pit. After taking the ritual bath he'd dressed in the outfit Duo had left, which was an ornate arrangement of reds, oranges, golds and yellows. The outfit was loose, yet not too loose, in fact it strangely felt like a second skin… like something that had been made especially for Quatre, yet he knew it had not been.   
  
As he took his place he let his eyes wander for a moment to the five warriors who stood around him. In his mind he memorized each of their images, for if he was really going home he would probably never see them again. And though he'd hadn't been in Konan for more then a month he was good friends with all of them, he knew he would miss them.   
  
Quatre opened his eyes and looked down at the red scroll before him. Picking up the scroll he signaled the start of the ceremony. Slowly he unrolled the old and yellowed paper, silently reading the contents within. The room around him grew completely silent save for the sound of the six occupants breathing softly and the whispers of the tapestries against the stone floor. Quatre took a deep breath and began to read out loud, while watching the large fire before him out of the corner of his eyes.  
  
"Suzaku. Firey Phoenix of the East."  
  
The fire before him sputtered loudly, throwing sparks around the room and Quatre felt himself grow warm, the now familiar red light surrounding him. The room around him seemed to flash with power, but he kept his eyes on the scroll and forced himself to concentrate.  
  
"I call you."  
  
Those three words issued from his mouth, echoing loudly throughout the room and there was a large crack, like thunder. Quatre looked up in surprise as three figures appeared in the room, surrounded by blue light. Immediately he recognized the leader, Zechs. The Kuto general was flanked by two other warriors, both dressed in blue. The male crouched protectively and immediately raced off to the side, disappearing behind the many pillars in the room, while the female warrior stepped forward and settled her eyes on the warriors.  
  
Hilde raised her fan and turned to the two. "You aren't welcome here," she hissed.  
  
Duo stepped up next to her and rolled up the sleeves of his dress, a grin crossing his face. "You up to fighting me this time, blue eyes?" He glared angrily at Zechs.  
  
"Perhaps later. Une?"  
  
The female stepped forward, in front of Zechs, and up to Duo. "You will cease, young lady. We have business here."  
  
Duo's eyes narrowed. "Who are you to order me around?" Duo growled and moved forward, ready to fight.  
  
Meanwhile Hilde raised her fan and ducked around Une, heading straight for Zechs. Raising her fan she waved it toward the general and screamed two words.  
  
"Lekka shein!"  
  
Flames exploded from the fan and headed straight for Zechs, but the general simply raised his hand and the flames reversed direction, knocking Hilde backward to the ground and singing her skin and clothing. She landed hard on the ground and didn't get up.  
  
Zechs turned his attention to the other three warriors, but paused. His eyes immediately moved to Relena, who had darted behind Emperor Heero. Zechs' eyes narrowed dangerously as Relena tried to shrink farther behind Heero.   
  
"Keep him away from me," she pleaded quietly.  
  
Wufei stepped forward, holding his staff out in defense. "The Guardians of Seriyu are not welcome in this place," he growled dangerously.  
  
The edges of the general's mouth pulled into an amused smile as Heero also drew his sword. "You have gained the Emperor's protection, but even that is not protection enough." Zechs raised his hand as blue energy began to circle around his fist.  
  
"Zechs."  
  
The blue energy disappeared and he seemed to relax. Heero glanced around but couldn't see the source of the voice. Zechs turned back toward Une, who was still battling to keep Duo from punching her face. Une immediately caught Zechs' signal and moved toward him.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Duo gave a yell and pounced forward, but Une spun around and pulled a dagger out of no where, slashing him across his lower stomach. Duo stumbled to the ground with a cry, clutching his chest as the blood soaked his clothing.  
  
There was a flash of blue light and the three warriors disappeared, as did an unconscious Quatre which the third warrior held in his arms. Heero raced forward with his sword but not in time to reach them, instead he ended up slashing at thin air. Spinning around he found that he and Wufei were the only ones left standing in the room; Duo and Hilde lay on the floor injured and Relena seemed to have fainted.  
  
"Wufei, help Duo, now." Heero raced over to Relena and tried to shake her awake as Wufei moved to look at Duo's deep cut. At first Relena didn't respond so finally Heero just slapped her across the face, her eyes snapped open and she winced in pain.  
  
"Wh-what happened?" she murmured groggily.  
  
"No time now. You need to heal Hilde and Duo, before they get any worse."  
  
Relena struggled to her feet and moved to Hilde's side. The symbol on her hand lit up almost immediately and Hilde's skin slowly began to knit back together. Meanwhile Wufei worked to bandage Duo's large wound. Heero walked to his side.  
  
"How is she?" He asked quietly.  
  
"She'll live, she may not be able to jump around or fight like that for a few days but she'll live." Wufei finished tying the bandage around Duo's stomach and helped the harem 'girl' to sit up.   
  
Duo glanced around the room. "Where's Quatre?" he choked out.  
  
"Gone, they took his with them back to Kuto."  
  
Wufei frowned deeply. "Not only did they take the Priest… but the scroll is gone as well."  
  
Duo coughed. "Damn."  
  
**  
  
Quatre - The Priest of Suzaku  
Trowa - a boy sucked into the book with Quatre, staying in Kuto  
Heero - The Emperor of Konan, a Suzaku warrior  
Duo - a boy posing as a girl in Heero's harem, also a Suzaku warrior  
Relena - a girl from Heero's harem, a Suzaku warrior  
Hilde - a Suzaku warrior discovered in Kuto  
Wufei - a mysterious monk from the temple of the 5 gods, a warrior of Suzaku  
Zechs - general of the Kuto army  
Une - a warrior working for Zechs  
Catherine - Trowa's twin sister who is reading the Universe of the Four Gods  



	9. Chapter 8

Small author's thank you to Kacfrog711, because if you hadn't bugged me I wouldn't have rememebered that I forgot to post this chapter! Oops!  
  
Author's Note: Here and now we depart from the Fushigi Yuugi story line. Yes that means you can put away your source books. The plot from here on in is mostly of my own creation. (With oodles of help from Khadaji and Jo-san and a few FY plot twists dumped in). Do not expect me to follow the show's story line anymore and expect some more characters to come in from the other kingdoms and gods. From here on in the story promises to take on a life of its own. Hope you all enjoy!  
  
  
Part 8  
  
Quatre opened his eyes to find darkness: a tight cloth wrapped around his eyes. Not only was there a cloth tied securely around his eyes but also tight cords around his wrists and ankles. Quatre opened his mouth to give a yell but also found he was gagged with another cloth. Whoever had tied him up had certainly taken the time to do so well. Wiggling around he found the ground below him was jumping around unsteadily and quite scratchy. Straw? He was in a carriage or wagon, or something like that. Quatre attempted to speak through the gag but it came out as an indefinable and muffled sound.   
  
Lightly something touched his shoulders and he jerked in surprise. He froze as he felt the cloth around his eyes loosen. Quatre waited patiently as the blindfold was taken away and he found himself face to face with a boy in a mask. Half his face was covered by his hair and the other by a strange half-mask with blue markings around the eyehole. It was Trowa! Quatre's eyes widened in recognition but Trowa placed a finger to his own mouth in a motion of silence. Quatre nodded that he understood and Trowa went back to undoing all the ties.  
  
A second later Quatre was free and the untied cords and pieces of cloth littered the bottom of the covered wagon. He glanced around him and rubbed his wrists as he watched Trowa remove the half-mask.  
  
"Where are we going?" Quatre whispered quietly.  
  
"Back to Kuto."  
  
Quatre's eyes widened. "But we can't do th-!"  
  
Trowa quickly put his hand over Quatre's mouth to stop him. "Hush, not so loud. Quatre, please, you have to trust me on this one. You're life is in danger if you stay in Konan."  
  
Quatre frowned. "So instead you expect me to be safe in the same palace as Zechs? Trowa, he tried to kill me!"  
  
For a moment Trowa was silent and didn't answer. Quatre could easily see he was thinking over the entire situation in his mind. Perhaps if he convinced Trowa, the emerald-eyed boy would return with him to Konan.  
  
"I don't trust him," Quatre restated with a frown.  
  
Trowa sighed softly. "Neither do I… but I owe him my life, and that at least counts for something."  
  
"You're life?" Quatre moved closer to Trowa and glanced down at the half-mask he held in his hands. Trowa's hands were shaking slightly, as if he couldn't decide whether to destroy the mask or place it back over his face for protection. "Trowa…"  
  
Trowa looked up in surprise as his tangent of thought was disturbed, but he recovered quickly, his face blank once more with no trace of that second's weakness. "Zechs said that you could not be allowed to call Suzaku because when a god is called they take over the body of the priest. You would be allowed three wishes, yes, however once those three wishes are made your life is forfeit and you are destroyed as the god returns to its home in the heavens. Whether you trust Zechs or not… I couldn't chance that it could be the truth."  
  
Quatre looked away from Trowa and shook his head vigorously. "That can't be true, they would have told me if my life was in danger." He glanced back to Trowa. "They're my friends, why would they omit something like that?"  
  
"I don't know. Quatre, they can't be your friends, you haven't even been in this world for a month."  
  
"But they…" Quatre bit his lower lip and stopped. Trowa had a point, he hadn't been here very long and he had nothing to judge them by. For all he knew they could have been lying to him the entire time. It was true that Heero had seemed bent on killing him until his power had appeared, and then everything was fine. Was it possible that Heero and the others were using him? No, that didn't sound right. He shook his head once more. "They have no reason…" but he trailed off, still not sure.  
  
Trowa placed a comforting hand on the blond boy's shoulder. "We have to face the fact that we are in a different world from our own. Everyone must earn our trust and the only ones we can trust completely are each other. I do not trust Zechs, but I owe him my life. They have shown me nothing but friendship and decency, and have promised to help us find a way home… without sacrificing anyone."  
  
Quatre didn't respond.  
  
"We have a better chance of surviving through this if we stay together."  
  
Quatre nodded. "Yeah, you're right. But I still don't trust Zechs."  
  
A ghost of a smile crossed Trowa's face. "Understood. I will make sure he stays far away from you."  
  
Quatre frowned and leaned back against the side of the covered wagon. He let his eyes roam for a moment but finally settled them on Trowa's silent face. Trowa's eyes had become distant again and even though he was looking just off to the side of Quatre the blond knew he wasn't seeing anything. What was Trowa thinking about that seemed to bother him so much? And something about everything Trowa had said felt wrong, one certain phrase.  
  
"Trowa?" Quatre whispered the name quietly and watched in interest and surprise as the boy seemed to jump again, but quickly recovered. He was definitely uneasy.  
  
Trowa raised his visible eyebrow in question.  
  
"What… what happened to you after you told me to run away?"  
  
Trowa seemed to flinch, but very slightly. If Quatre hadn't been watching closely he wouldn't have noticed. But since he was watching he caught it and began to worry. He hadn't known Trowa for long but he knew this wasn't right. Trowa shouldn't have been jumping at every sound and flinching at every time his name was mentioned. Something bad had happened. Upon realizing this Quatre immediately regretted asking, though a large part of him still wanted to know.  
  
He opened his mouth to retract the question but paused as Trowa took a deep breath.  
  
"I didn't get away."  
  
That simple phrase seemed to speak volumes. The slave traders had caught Trowa, but then what? What had happened to him after that? Quatre hated to ask but he wanted to know so much, and he was beginning to feel guilty.  
  
"I was caught, and sold…" Trowa's voice dropped off and his eyes grew distant again, yet this time the pain and fear seemed quite apparent. Quatre bit his lip.  
  
"I shouldn't have run away, I should have stayed behind and helped."  
  
Trowa broke out of his moment of reflection and looked to Quatre quickly. "No."  
  
Quatre shook his head. "I could have helped. It's my fault."  
  
Trowa shook his head and moved across the wagon to sit down next to Quatre. With a soft smile he wrapped his arms around the boy, in comfort. Quatre's eyes widened in surprise at the action and contact with the boy and he stiffened. But he soon relaxed in Trowa's arms as the emerald-eyed boy held him tightly.  
  
"It's not your fault, never think that."  
  
"But…"  
  
Trowa smiled softly. "Better me then both of us. No worries. Don't blame yourself, it makes no difference now. I'm just glad you're safe."  
  
At that Quatre relaxed completely and allowed himself to lean his head against Trowa's chest. The blue silk was soft and cool against his face and he closed his eyes, savoring the moment sitting in Trowa's arms. Despite the jarring of the wagon and the knowledge that he was heading back to Kuto he felt completely safe. He knew he would always feel completely safe in Trowa's arms. Duo had been right, he did have feelings for Trowa.  
  
Duo…  
  
Quatre opened his eyes and frowned at the side of the wagon in thought. Trowa was right, they really couldn't be sure whom they could trust but he had trusted Duo. The fact that Duo had shared his secret with him, and just everything he'd learned about the long haired boy seemed to add to that trust. He just couldn't imagine Duo being one of the bad guys. Even if he wasn't sure if he could trust Relena, Heero, Hilde or Wufei he pretty much knew he could trust Duo. And that wasn't just based on gut feeling. He trusted Duo. Duo had earned his trust.  
  
So he was returning to Kuto… where Zechs was. Quatre repressed the urge to shudder at that name. Despite the fact of Zechs he would stay with Trowa and discover if the people of Kuto could be trusted. And if they couldn't? Well then they could both go to Konan, because at least he knew he could trust Duo there.   
  
**  
  
Duo sat up in bed and glanced around the room in worry. His worry increased ten fold when he realized he was wrapped in a robe he had no recollection of ever putting on. It didn't take him a second to remember the attack and what had happened to Quatre. He vividly remembered how Lady Une had attacked him and sliced him across the chest. The chest…  
  
Duo looked down and found his chest completely healed under the robes. What's more there was nothing covering the top of his chest. He was wearing just a robe, and he was healed. That meant Relena had healed him. It also meant that they now knew he was actually a he. Duo closed his eyes and shuddered as he imagined the look that probably appeared on Heero's face when he saw that Duo was only posing as a girl. Opening his eyes he pushed the though away and quickly jumped out of the bed, glancing around the room.  
  
"I need to get out of here, and fast."  
  
"And go where?"  
  
Duo froze in mid-step and spun around at the voice. He found Wufei standing behind him in the shadows, his straw hat bent down to cover his face. The monk lifted the straw hat and set his serious eyes on Duo. Duo immediately tugged the edges of the robe over the top of his chest, even though he knew Wufei most likely already knew the truth. Still, it had become a habit for him to act more like a girl.  
  
"Anywhere but here," Duo spoke in a shaking voice. "I'm dead meat if I stay here after Heero-sama has found out. I'll be executed for sure. And I have no desire to die thank you very much."  
  
"He doesn't know."  
  
Duo's hands went slack and the robe dropped back into place, to simply just covering around his arms and waist. He blinked at the monk in confusion. "How could he not know after Relena healed me? She probably took great pleasure in revealing to him that I was some sick weirdo dressed as a guy."  
  
Wufei shook his head. "Relena did not heal you. Her powers are such that she is only able to help one person a day, thus she attended to Hilde while I attended to you. My powers are not generally used for healing others but as you can see…" He waved his hand toward Duo's scarless chest. "On occasion they come in handy."  
  
Duo dropped back to sitting on the edge of the bed and just stared at Wufei. "Heero-sama doesn't know that I'm a guy?"  
  
Wufei shook his head. "He doesn't know and I have no reason to tell him."  
  
At that a wide grin broke across Duo's face. "Oh man, you don't know how much I love you right now!"  
  
Wufei smiled slightly. "I'm sure. However, we have more important matters to attend to. If you will please get dressed I will explain." Wufei gestured toward a pile of clothing sitting over on the table.  
  
Duo moved over toward the table and lifted the fabric, then frowned. "But… these are men's clothes."  
  
"Trust me, get dressed and I shall explain."  
  
Duo shrugged and stripped of the robe, his back to Wufei, and began to pull on the men's style of clothing. "Yeah, ok, whatever you say. But believe me if this is some joke you're going to be eating that straw hat of yours."  
  
Wufei merely smirked. "I have no doubt."  
  
**  
  
The throne room was silent save for the hard steps of the Emperor as he paced across the carpeted floor. Merely three hours after the attack and already he was on the way to walking a large indent into the floor. As he paced back and forth his advisors stood off to the side, watching in worry. Hilde and Relena stood against the other wall, watching him with worry. As he paved Heero kept glancing at the door, waiting for either Wufei or Duo to walk into the room. Most off all he was waiting for Duo.  
  
As annoying as the woman was at times, he found he missed her maddening gleefulness. At a dire time like this her ever-present grin and shameless flirtations would have been a welcome distraction. Yet, with the fact that she'd been wounded badly and Relena didn't have any power available to help her, all he could do was leave Duo in the questionable care of that mysterious monk. Meanwhile the waiting was about ready to drive him mad.  
  
Heero turned and began pacing in the other direction, his hand rested firmly on the hilt of his sword, causing it to click against his boots as he paced back and forth. Hilde leaned over to Relena with a worried look.  
  
"You suppose he'll be able to heal her?" she whispered softly.  
  
Relena shrugged. "I hope so, Heero-sama looks ready to kill. If he doesn't cure that annoying woman then I bet he's not going to keep his head for very long."  
  
Hilde's eyes widened in fear and she swallowed.  
  
Beyond them the door of the throne room opened slowly and Wufei stepped in, closing the door behind him. All eyes turned on the monk and Heero immediately stopped pacing, instead he turned an impatient glare on the dark haired monk.  
  
"She's fine," Wufei spoke softly.  
  
"Where is she?" Hilde asked, stepping forward.  
  
"Currently recovering in her room. Heero-sama, will you please come with me?"  
  
The Emperor nodded and followed the monk out of the room, leaving the other two women to just stare at each other in confusion. They had no idea what was going on.  
  
As soon as they exited the room Heero fell into step beside Wufei as they headed for Duo's room. They walked in hurried silence and when Wufei opened the door Heero was surprised to find the room completely empty. He immediately turned on the monk and grasped the hilt of his sword.  
  
"Where is she?" he growled angrily.  
  
Wufei placed up his hands in defense and a movement of surrender. "If you will let me explain, your highness. I assume you have already realized that the Priest is being taken back to Kuto."  
  
Heero nodded impatiently. "That is not the current moment of concern. Do not change the subject."  
  
"The Lady Duo is safe, but there are a few things I must explain first, for the lady's sake."  
  
Heero's eyes narrowed and he gave the slightest of nods, signaling the monk to continue.  
  
"Quatre has been taken back to Kuto and an all-out attack is out of the question. Especially since they possess the scroll of Suzaku. Instead our best plan of attack would be to have one of our warriors infiltrate Kuto and act as an informant until we have a full grasp of the current situation."  
  
Heero frowned. "You mean send one of us in as a spy?"  
  
Wufei nodded.  
  
"You intend to send her in?"  
  
Wufei nodded once more.  
  
"You can't be serious. We can't possibly send a female into enemy hands-"  
  
"If you haven't noticed Lady Duo is quite capable of taking care of herself in most situations. I doubt you completely missed how she stood up on her own to that Warrior of Seriyu."  
  
Heero frowned, he knew Wufei had a very good point. "Still…"  
  
"Who else do you propose we send in? You have said yourself that you do not trust Hilde. Relena seems to only have power in the area of healing and even that is limited. You yourself are the Emperor and can not risk such a venture, no matter what. I can tell from your actions that you still do not completely trust me, so that leaves Lady Duo or one of your ill-equipped advisors."  
  
Heero shook his head. "No, we can not send Duo in. They have already seen her as it is. She was captured along with Quatre the first time."  
  
The corners of Wufei's mouth tilted slightly into a smirk, or rather a sly smile. "That, my lord, has already been taken care of. Duo? You may step in now."  
  
Heero turned toward the other door to the room as it opened and had a hard time disguising his shock. Into the room stepped a young man, not a woman, dressed in simple peasant clothes. He wore an outfit of dark green and blue, without a single hint of red. His violet eyes shimmered just as Duo's always had while his long chestnut colored hair was pulled back into a simple braid that bounced against his back as he stepped into the room.  
  
Upon meeting eyes with the surprised Emperor, Duo blushed and glanced away.  
  
"Lady Duo, you're a…" Heero wasn't able to finish the sentence, still sitting in shock.  
  
"No, what you see before you is merely Duo wrapped in my own illusions. My power from Suzaku gives me to ability to wrap shadows around myself and others to fool the eye into believing what I wish it to. She is still Duo, yet the shadows make her appear male rather than female."  
  
Duo grinned. "Cool spell, eh, Heero-sama?"  
  
Heero swallowed and nodded numbly. "A very convincing illusion."  
  
Duo glanced down at his outfit and then at Heero, grinning all the time. It was all he could do to keep from cheering, Wufei's explanation had worked. The Emperor actually believed it was all an illusion. His grin widened as he stepped completely into the room and proceeded to stand near the Emperor and the monk.  
  
"So," Heero swallowed his surprise and forced his eyes back to Wufei. Still, even that was a feat, there was just something about this illusionary male form of Duo. Something that struck him as odd, and somewhat familiar. It was almost as if he'd seen this particular boy before… even though it was an illusion and this boy didn't really exist. He pushed away his thoughts and turned back to Wufei. "What is your plan?"  
  
"The Lady Duo will use this form to get into the palace of Kuto and find the priest. Then she will also search out where they have hidden the scroll."  
  
Duo grinned. "And when I find that out I return with Quatre, the scroll and Quatre's friend."  
  
Heero nodded slowly. "It seems simple enough. How will we keep in contact to make sure nothing goes wrong?"  
  
"Being that Duo is a warrior of Suzaku I will be able to keep track of her with my own powers. She will be able to contact me with any reflective surface, however," Wufei turned to Duo. "I would highly suggest against doing so in the Kuto palace. If Zechs is as strong as I suspect he will be watching the entire palace, and will be able to sense such a communication."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Heero watched the harem girl turned boy and frowned deeply. He still didn't like the idea of sending her into enemy hands but he had to admit that there was no other choice at the moment, at least no other safer choice. Sighing heavily he nodded, giving his consent.  
  
**  
  
That night Duo left the palace under the cover of shadows and moonlight. He wore a dark black cloak which Heero had lent him and disappeared around the wall without incident, completely passing by Hilde and Relena without them being the wiser.  
  
The other part of the plan was that in the morning they would find Duo's room empty and explain to the two women that they had no idea where 'she' had fled to. Which was just as well. Duo understood that Heero didn't trust Hilde and in order to keep up the illusion of his running away they'd have to lie to Relena as well. Not that Relena would really care, she'd probably be overjoyed at the fact that Duo was finally gone and she finally had the Emperor all to herself.  
  
Crossing through the empty street and right past the walls of the kingdom Duo finally took a rest near a pond outside the Konan walls. Grinning widely he ditched the cloak and rolled it up tightly, stuffing it into his pack. Walking over to the water he grabbed a small drink.  
  
"Man, it feels real good to be in guys' clothes again! Not to mention I get to sneak into one of the most heavily guarded cities around, definintly the kind of excitement I've been needing for a long time."  
  
Heafting his pack back onto his back he started down the road toward Kuto, smiling happily.   
  
"Now the only thing that could make this better is if I had Shi-chan with me, but I guess I'll survive."  
  
**  
  
Quatre - The Priest of Suzaku  
Trowa - a boy sucked into the book with Quatre, staying in Kuto  
Heero - The Emperor of Konan, a Suzaku warrior  
Duo - a boy posing as a girl in Heero's harem, also a Suzaku warrior  
Relena - a girl from Heero's harem, a Suzaku warrior  
Hilde - a Suzaku warrior discovered in Kuto  
Wufei - a mysterious monk from the temple of the 5 gods, a warrior of Suzaku  
Zechs - general of the Kuto army  
Une - a warrior working for Zechs  
Catherine - Trowa's twin sister who is reading the Universe of the Four Gods  
Shi-chan - hehehe... no real clues yet except that Duo knows him 


	10. Chapter 9

Part 9  
  
***** Recap for those who may have lost track*****  
  
Quatre and Trowa found a book in the library and were sucked into another world that resembles ancient china. They were separated when they were attacked by slave traders and ended up in two different empires. Quatre ended up in Konan and was introduced to the warriors of Suzaku: Duo (a guy who is posing as a girl in Heero's harem), Heero (the boy emperor of Konan), Relena (a girl in Heero's harem), Hilde (a girl from the cells in Kuto) and Wufei (a mysterious monk). There he was told that he is the legendary Priest of Suzaku and they asked him to call the god to their world.  
  
Meanwhile Trowa ended up in the empire of Kuto. There he met Zechs, the general of Kuto's army. Zechs informed him of his current situation and how his friend Quatre was in danger because when a Priest calls a god they will be killed when that god is sent back to where is came from. Because of this Trowa decided to interrupt the ceremony with Zechs and another warrior by the name of Lady Une.   
  
They successfully stopped the ceremony to call Suzaku and in the chaos kidnapped Quatre, taking him back to Kuto. Now Quatre is staying in Kuto with Trowa, agreeing with Trowa that the only ones they can trust in this strange world are each other. Meanwhile Duo has been sent as a spy to Kuto, dressed in guys clothing for the first time since he entered Heero's harem. Quatre and Wufei are the only ones who know that Duo is actually a male.  
  
***** end of Recap*****  
  
  
Quatre stepped into the large bedroom and frowned, clutching the pile of new robes to his body tightly. Behind him Trowa bid the servant girl, Anne, good night and the door slid shut. Trowa turned back to Quatre, who still hadn't moved and was just staring at the large room.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Trowa asked quietly.  
  
Quatre shook his head. "No… not really. It just looks a lot like the room they gave me at Konan when they called me the Priest of Suzaku."  
  
Trowa frowned. "Quatre…"  
  
He swallowed. "That and there's… only one bed."  
  
Trowa raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the bed, he couldn't help but smile slightly. "You have a point." He thought for a moment then shrugged. "Go ahead, I need to look at some things in the library anyway."  
  
"Are you sure?" Quatre glanced warily at the door, then at Trowa. He really didn't like the idea of being alone in the Kuto palace, especially with Zechs walking around behind the walls.  
  
Trowa nodded, his eyes growing distant. "There's some things I need to figure out. The library is just down the hall, I'll come back periodically and check on you, all right?"  
  
Quatre nodded and forced himself to slide into the thick blankets covering the bed. "Ok."  
  
"Night, Quatre." Trowa said, sliding the door open and stepping out.  
  
Only after Quatre responded did he shut the door and head for the library. He wasn't tired, not one bit. So instead he figured he'd spend the time in the library, and the first matter of business was looking at that one particular scroll Zechs put so hurriedly away earlier that day.  
  
**  
  
The large metal bolted door slid open to reveal a dark room lit by a scattered amount of candles and a fire burning brightly in the corner. As soon as the door swung open there was the scurrying of movement and very small slippered feet racing into the back corner of the room. The tall yet young woman at the table looked up from her dusty pile of scrolls. She smiled softly and brushed the long bangs from her eyes.  
  
"Lord Zechs."  
  
Zechs nodded to her and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him.   
  
"I take it the attack went well?" She asked, gesturing for him to take her seat as she stood up and placed a few more logs in the fire pit, adding to the dim light in the room. Zechs' eyes drifted for a moment to the small figure cringing in the corner but then left her, turning back to the other woman. He took the seat she offered.  
  
"A few complications arose but yes, everything fell into place. All that remains now are the loose ends."  
  
The woman raised an eyebrow. "And the scroll?"  
  
Zechs reached into his robes and a moment later came out with the bright red scroll of Suzaku. The woman stepped forward and took it, holding it in her hands as if it were one of the most precious pieces of glass. Almost reverently she slid off the binding rope and unrolled it to scan over the first few lines.   
  
"I was right," she murmured softly. "It starts just as ours does." Glancing back to Zechs she resealed the scroll. "It will take a little research but it appears that our Priest and the Priest of Suzaku are linked, the first lines of this scroll prove it. If this is true, it should lend us clues about this one you call Kirin."  
  
Zechs nodded, rubbing his chin in thought.  
  
From behind the woman the figure in the corner slowly stood to her feet and moved toward them, her eyes locked on the bright red scroll. Gingerly she took a few steps forward and paused, eyeing Zechs. Zechs turned his head and met her eyes with an icy glare, the little girl started and raced back to her corner.  
  
Zechs stood to his feet and frowned. "You really shouldn't let her run around as you do, Noin, she will escape."  
  
The woman, Noin, sighed softly. "Even if she could escape she would become too overwhelmed to go anywhere, you know that. And you also know she won't stray far from me."  
  
Zechs nodded slowly. "She is your responsibility, regardless."  
  
"Yes, I know."  
  
Zechs nodded once more and turned to leave. Yet, he paused as his hand rested on the handle for the door. "And the Priest?"  
  
Noin gave a light smile. "Be patient. It all depends on him. A day or two at the most, then all will be ready."  
  
"Good." Zechs left the room, the door swinging shut behind him. Almost immediately the young girl raced out of her corner and latched onto Noin's leg, quivering lightly. Shutting her eyes she buried her face in Noin's robes.  
  
"Shhh." Noin knelt down and wrapped her arms around the young girl. "It's alright, I know you don't like him. But he's gone now, see?" Noin gently lifted the girl's chin and pointed to the closed door.  
  
The girl looked at the door for a moment, her face blank and her wide, glowing eyes echoing that emotionless look. After a moment she nodded.  
  
"Good. Now, please, I need to work."  
  
The girl obediently released her grip on Noin and backed away, bowing her head. Noin stood up and headed back to the table. Sitting down once more she reopened the scroll of Suzaku, rolling it out onto the table. Next she reached into a small ornate chest and puled out a second scroll, though this one was a bright blue. Opening this scroll alongside the Suzaku one she leaned forward and began to examine the words.   
  
She soon became so engrossed in her work that she didn't even notice the young girl moving for the door. Nor did she notice the door slowly open and shut, all without a sound.  
  
**  
  
Trowa sighed softly as he placed the scroll back in the pile on the shelf. Frowning for a moment in thought he pulled another scroll out and returned to his seat at the table. Sitting down he unrolled it and scanned the words.  
  
Unfortunately it was no different from all the others he'd looked at in the last few hours. All held either an epic tale of the Kuto Empire or some history of the empire and its people. So far not a single one made any reference to the god known as Suzaku. Which seemed in itself very strange. He'd found numerous mentions to Seriyu, the guardian god of Kuto, and a few references to Genbu and Byakko, but still nothing on Suzaku. Frowning deeply he closed the scroll and leaned back in the chair.  
  
His eyes hurt and the candle he'd brought with him to light his reading was nearly out, the wax dripping off the table to create a small pool on the floor. Trowa frowned at the pool of wax, knowing that he'd have to clean it up before he left. Rubbing his eyes he sighed again.  
  
After a moment he reached into his robes and pulled out the cool porcelain mask Zechs had given him. Setting it on the table he studied the pattern surrounding the eye. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that he looked at the mask carefully he saw the pattern was actually two blue dragons interlocking to become one. Absent-mindedly he slid his finger along the outline of one of the dragons.  
  
He could have sworn there was only one dragon or blue design on there when he'd received the mask.   
  
"I would have remembered if the pattern forked off like this," he murmured quietly.  
  
Closing his eyes he shook his head for a moment then looked back down at the mask. Without much thought he picked up the ice cold porcelain piece and fit it over his face. It was strange how the half mask fit him perfectly, covering exactly half of his face, leaving one opening only for the eye. It was even stranger how there was no need for a rope to tie the mask around his head, it fit that well. Something about that seemed wrong to him but he couldn't quite place it so he just shrugged it off, regarding the thought as a result of lack of sleep.   
  
Taking a deep breath he took the mask from his face and slid it back beneath his robes. Blowing out the candle he left the library, not even bothering to clean up the wax, he was far too tired to worry about it.   
  
He arrived at the room to find Quatre sleeping soundly in the bed, curled up like an innocent child. The blond boy wore a set of baggy pants and a robe to bed, but the tie on the robe had come undone, causing his smooth chest to be shown off in the dim moonlight from the windows. Trowa smiled lightly and walked over to the bed, pulling the single thin cover back up to Quatre's chin. Quatre responded by curling tighter together but his sweet cherubim face favored Trowa with a small smile, though he was still sleeping.  
  
Trowa stood there for a moment, just watching the boy. After a while his eyes began to droop and he gave up. Walking over to the corner on the other side of the room he laid down on the floor curled into a tight ball.  
  
He hadn't told Quatre the real reason he'd stayed in the library most of the night and offered him the real bed. It was better the blond boy didn't know. Trowa closed his eyes and curled into a tight ball, preparing for a night of bad dreams, where sleep was little, and far between. Still he did sleep better knowing that Quatre was safe and had no idea what Trowa saw when he closed his eyes.  
  
**  
  
The young girl moved through the palace on soft steps, sliding across the floor as if she were a spirit. As she walked she blinked her glowing green eyes rapidly, trying to watch the strange creature before her. She knew no one else could see it, for she often saw things none of the others could, despite their magic. But still she knew the things she saw were real, because they spoke to her, even if she could not speak back.   
  
Before her, this time, was a small bright bird made of fire. It flew around in circles; its burning tail leaving sparks in the air to fade as they touched the floor. It kept calling her name, begging her to follow and follow faster. She noticed the bird seemed agitated, was it afraid of the large blond man in the blue armor like she was?  
  
She quickened her steps, moving quickly after the bird; meanwhile it flew faster, yelling after her to run even faster. She raced after it, following it down the long hallways until it finally came to a stop before a large room with an angry looking dragon carved in the door. The girl shook her head wildly and backed away from the door. She knew what that dragon meant; it was one of the mean creatures, like the tiger. She wouldn't go into that room.  
  
The bird hovered by the door, flapping its wings and looking at her with pleading eyes. After a long moment she stepped forward and touched the door timidly, as if she expected the dragon to slither off the door and wrap around her in a death grip. Taking a deep breath she slid open the door and peered inside.  
  
The first thing she saw was the boy on the floor in the corner. He was curled into a tight ball, much the same way she usually slept, but he was shivering in his sleep. She knew he was having a nightmare. She watched him silently as he jerked around on the floor, his mouth opening to give silent cries as he tried to pull himself into a tighter ball. She wondered for a moment what he was dreaming about. Did his friends die too? Perhaps. She recognized him from around the palace and knew he was a prisoner here too. Otherwise why else wouldn't they let him go anywhere without the blue creature following him. Her eyes warily went to the quiet serpent sleeping next to him and hissing in his sleep, at least it was sleeping and couldn't see her.  
  
After a while he stopped shaking and settled back to normal sleeping, the dreams ending for a moment's rest. She turned her attention to the bed where the bird was now hovering. Lying in the bed was a boy older then her, with short blond hair and an innocent face. The girl watched as the bird flew around the boy's head, landing quietly near his ear. It cawed once and the boy's eyes snapped open, immediately meeting with the girl.  
  
The girl frowned and stepped away from the door, hoping he would get her hint to follow her out of the room.  
  
**  
  
Quatre sat up in bed, his sleep shattered by a sound he couldn't remember. Blinking the sleep from his eyes he froze as he noticed the door to the room was open and a small figure stood there. It was a young girl, but the strange thing was that her green eyes appeared to glow in the moonlight. Rubbing his eyes he forced them to focus, but when he looked again she was gone. Frowning in confusion Quatre stood up and walked toward the door.  
  
Stepping out of the room he found the girl standing in the middle of the hallway, her head cocked slightly to the side. She had short red hair and light blue eyes, eyes that held a very haunted look. She wore old faded green robes, and they would have looked like something for royalty if they weren't crusted with dust and dirt and wrinkled. Quatre smiled sweetly at her and knelt down so they were the same height.  
  
"Hello," he said quietly.  
  
The girl's head moved slowly, turning to the other side, but she said nothing. Nor did her blank expression change.  
  
Quatre tried again. "My name is Quatre, what's yours?"  
  
The girl blinked at him but nothing more.  
  
Quatre leaned forward slightly and reached out one hand, holding it palm up to her. The girl's glowing gaze drifted to his hand for a moment then traveled back to his face. She blinked a few more times and stepped forward, timidly reaching for his hand. Quatre remained completely still, waiting patiently. Minutes later the girl finally placed her hand in his. And as their skin touched Quatre was bathed in a bright green light, almost blinding. He gasped as he felt like he was falling.  
  
Quatre blinked to find himself standing in a space that was completely white. Just a world of white with soft green colored edges. He frowned and tried to step forward, but nothing around him changed. Kuto was gone, as was the little girl.  
  
"Hello?" He tried yelling out, but no one answered. Yet, slowly, another sound faded into existence behind him. Quatre whirled around as the sound of children's laughter filled his ears. In the white before him a scene faded into view of a young girl. It was the girl from the hallway and she was dressed in a normal school uniform from his world, silver butterfly barrettes holding her hair from her eyes. He noticed that her eyes were not glowing now, instead they were a beautiful light blue.  
  
She laughed as she and a few friends walked together, toward a large school.  
  
Quatre's eyes widened and he stepped forward once more, reaching out for the girl. Almost immediately the image faded and he felt like he was falling again. He blinked and suddenly was back in the palace hallway, his hand still extended toward the girl. Yet the girl wasn't touching him anymore, she now stood several feet back, watching him with worry. Quatre dropped his hand and just looked at her in confusion for a moment.  
  
"You're from my world," he muttered quietly.  
  
The girl nodded.  
  
"Did you get here like Trowa and me?"  
  
She blinked in confusion at his question.  
  
"Through the book. The Universe of the Four Gods?"  
  
Her eyes widened and she nodded quickly, glancing past him into the room to look at Trowa where he lay in the corner. Turning back to Quatre she nodded again, excitedly, yet her face was still blank.  
  
"But why are you here-"  
  
"Marimeia!"  
  
Both Quatre and the girl turned to see Noin and Zechs appear around the corner. Almost immediately the girl ran up to Quatre and wrapped her arms around him, almost in protection. Quatre's eyes widened at the site of Zechs.  
  
Noin frowned at the two. "Marimeia, what are you doing out of bed? Come here, dear."  
  
The girl, Marimeia, looked straight at Zechs who stood next to Noin and shook her head wildly, refusing to let go of her hold on Quatre.  
  
"Let the girl go," Zechs hissed quietly.  
  
Quatre stood up and backed away from the two, Marimeia still clasping onto him, a frightened child. "She's the one who's holding onto me," he said quietly.  
  
Noin glanced at Zechs. "I'll take care of her. You know she won't come anywhere near you. Please, just leave and let me take care of it."  
  
He frowned visibly at her. "The last time you took care of it she ran away."  
  
Noin flinched. "I promise it won't happen again."  
  
"It had better not." With that icy threat Zechs turned and left the hallway, disappearing back around the corner. Noin, meanwhile, turned her attention back to Quatre and Marimeia.  
  
"He's gone now, Mari, you can come here. He won't hurt you."  
  
Quatre remained still as the little girl pulled away from him and slowly approached Noin. Finally, in the last few steps, she jumped forward and wrapped her arm around Noin in a silent gesture begging for protection. Noin smiled and picked the girl up, holding her tightly in her arms. She looked at Quatre and smiled.  
  
"Thank you for finding her. You must be Quatre."  
  
Quatre nodded cautiously. "How do you know my name?"  
  
"Despite the fact that I live in Kuto, the land of Seriyu, I know the name of the Priest of Suzaku. My name is Noin."  
  
Quatre swallowed. "And she is?"  
  
"This is Marimeia." Noin smiled. "If you'll excuse us, I need to take her back to her room, before she gets into more trouble."  
  
Quatre nodded.  
  
Noin turned to walk away but Marimeia wiggled in her arms, reaching out toward Quatre. Noin raised an eyebrow and set the girl down for a second. The little girl raced over to Quatre and hugged him tightly.   
  
The minute their hands touched Quatre received a wash of images.  
  
A school uniform.  
  
A locked box, hidden away.  
  
And Marimeia's face with one finger at her lips, making the motion for silence.  
  
Quatre pulled away for a second and stared at her in awe then nodded. He smiled softly. "Good night Marimeia." Leaning farther forward he whispered in her ear. "I won't tell them."  
  
Marimeia nodded, once, then turned and walked back over to Noin. Quatre stood to his feet and watched them walk away. Then he returned to the bedroom and crawled back into bed with a yawn. His eyes fell on Trowa for a second and he considered telling him he could have the bed, but he decided against it. Trowa looked so peaceful in his sleep that he didn't want to disturb him.  
  
Quatre drifted back off the sleep with images of Marimeia in his mind. Who was she? How was it possible that she came from their world? And if she did… did she hold the keys to getting back safely?  
  
End of part 9  



	11. Chapter 10

Part 10  
  
Quatre woke up the next morning to find his room empty, Trowa was already gone and probably in the library, browsing through the books. Standing up he stretched and walked over to the wardrobe in the room, to look though the robes for something to wear. Unfortunately what he found were mostly fancy blue robes, nothing looking ordinary or in any other color. He frowned deeply as he moved about the clothing, which were all various shades of blue.  
  
Vaguely his mind remembered his own wardrobe in the room he'd been given in Konan. At the time he hadn't looked through it, electing to stay in his school uniform for comfort's sake, but now he wondered if it was like this. Would they have been all red?  
  
Quatre sighed and finally chose a simple outfit of lose fitting light blue pants with a green tunic type shirt, tying it off with a dark blue sash. He really wished he still had his school uniform but when Trowa had taken him he'd been wearing the outfit of the Priest of Suzaku, and they'd gotten rid of that almost right away. Quatre frowned and walked back over to the bed, trying to decide what to do now.  
  
A light knock sounded on his door and it slid open, a manservant entering with a tray of food. "Your breakfast, Master Quatre."  
  
Quatre looked up in surprise and met a set of familiar violet eyes. His own eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he looked at the boy who had just entered the room and was now shutting the door behind him. He wore simple, servant style clothing, his long hair pulled into a braid, which strangely enough gave the impression of him having a tail. Before Duo could say anything Quatre jumped up and rushed over to him, wrapping the boy in a tight embrace.  
  
"Oh Duo, I am so happy to see you!" He cried quietly, knowing that yelling would draw attention.   
  
"Oy! Quatre, nice to see you too. Let go or you're gonna strangle me."  
  
Quatre chuckled and backed off, allowing Duo to set the tray of food safely on the floor and take a few deep breaths. "What are you doing here?" The blond asked excitedly.  
  
"Checking up on you of course. When those Kuto warriors kidnapped you we got worried. So I'm here to make sure you're ok."  
  
Quatre frowned and took a seat on the bed. "Duo… I can't go back to Konan with you."  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. "You wanna stay here with him don't you?"  
  
"It's not just that. Duo… I…" Quatre sighed. "Don't take this the wrong way but I don't know who to trust. I mean I know Zechs tried to kill me but then again so did Heero when we first met. Trowa and I talked and he had a very good point. I'm in a completely different world that I know nothing about and I have a better chance of surviving this if I stay with Trowa. So… I'm staying here."  
  
Duo took a seat next to Quatre and ran a hand through his own bangs. "That makes sense. Look, Quatre, I am here to bring you back-"  
  
"Duo…"  
  
"But I won't if you don't want to go. I understand what you mean about not being able to trust anyone, believe me I've been there. Not that I've been to another world but, you know what I mean."  
  
Quatre glanced up at Duo. "So what are you going to do?"  
  
"Oh that's easy enough. I'll stay here, and help you, just in case. See I'm supposed to rescue you and the Suzaku scroll, but if you don't want to be rescued that's fine. So I'll just stay around in the palace and make sure you don't get yourself killed or anything like that."  
  
"And Trowa?"  
  
Duo grinned. "Heh, yeah. I'll watch over him too, don't worry. Now I better get going or they are going to suspect something. Here, take this." Duo dug into his pocket and pulled out a small dagger, it was old but well kept. "Keep it with you at all times, just in case. That Suzaku power of yours might not always appear so it'd be a good idea to keep with you."  
  
Quatre nodded and took the dagger, placing it safely folded from sight within his robes. "Thanks Duo."  
  
Duo stood up and nodded. "See you around kid." He walked to the door and slid it open. "Oh, and your friend is in the library if you were looking for him."  
  
"Thanks again."  
  
Duo gave a short wave and disappeared out the door, sliding it shut behind him. Quatre stood up from the bed and walked over to the tray of food. Picking it up he walked to the door and slid it open with his foot. Smiling slightly he carried the food toward the library.  
  
**  
  
Zechs glanced up from his chair and looked into the shadows in his dark room. He sat at a small table, looking over one of the many scrolls he'd taken from the library, studying various information about the four gods. Unfortunately he was still not able to find any information on Kiryn, and he had exhausted most of his resources within Kuto.  
  
The candle near him flickered and he squinted into the shadows, trying to make out the shapes around him. Narrowing his eyes he watched as a figure folded itself out of the shadows and became that of a shapely young female dressed in long flowing pieces of clothing, a dancers outfit of perfectly matched pink and purple. The girl's almond shaped eyes blinked once and the room became lighter, the shadows receding to the corners despite the lack of light causing them to do so. Tilting her head she nodded a greeting to Zechs.  
  
"Ah, Merian, I had not expected you so early." Zechs said, rolling the scroll before him closed.  
  
"Expected or not, I am here. My Lady is displeased, Zechs. She was told there would be results by the next moon. Where is the Priest?"  
  
"He is here."  
  
Merian's eyes narrowed and she took a few steps closer to Zechs, the long pieces of cloth floating around her body as if they were alive. "Then why have you not brought him to us? We know you already possess the Priest of Suzaku, so why have you not brought forth the next stage of the plan?"  
  
"The time is not right," he replied smoothly.  
  
"That is not for you to decide," she replied icily.  
  
Zechs stood up and frowned, placing the scroll on the shelf with the others. "Tell, your Lady not to worry, Merian. We have both Priests and it shall stay that way. However neither will themselves be controlled, we are working to remedy that situation. Also, we still do not have another integral part to this plan." He turned and looked to her with narrowed eyes. "We still miss the very key for summoning Kirin."  
  
A thin smile slid across Merian's face at that. "That, Zechs, shall easily be taken care of. The monk knows how to call Kirin, and I will… fetch him when the time is right. But first you must bring the priests and priestess to Sairou."  
  
Zechs frowned, quickly growing impatient with the dancing girl. "They will be there before the next moon, that is a promise."  
  
Merian nodded. "Until the next moon then." The shadows around her returned, filling the room with darkness. "Be wary, Zechs, of displeasing her." Merian's voice faded out into the darkness as Zechs extinguished the candle before him.   
  
Hissing to himself he stalked out of the room and down the hall. "She has right to be wary of me."  
  
He walked down the hall with a determined pace and stopped at a large door which marked the servants' quarters. Sliding it open he scanned the group of people and his eyes finally set on a female about his age with long brown hair hanging down to frame her face.  
  
"Anne."  
  
"Yes, Lord Zechs."  
  
"Bring Treize to the shrine, along with Noin. Immediately."  
  
The woman nodded and quickly hurried from the room.   
  
Meanwhile Duo watched from the background as Zechs slid the door shut again. His disguise had worked; the Kuto General hadn't recognized him. But now he had to find a way of following them and listening in to the conversation in the shrine, which would be harder. Grinning to himself he set out of the room and went to search the palace for the best place to listen in.  
  
**  
  
Treize glanced up from his chair by the window, where he gazed out into the garden. A knock on his bolted door brought him back to the real world and he turned as it slowly slid open, to reveal the servant girl, Anne, bowing before him.  
  
"My Lord, the General wishes to see you in the shrine."  
  
Treize stood and nodded, giving a sigh of relief. "It will do me some good to finally get out of this room, I suppose."  
  
Anne smiled lightly and nodded. "I must retrieve Lady Noin, will you be all right by yourself?"  
  
"Yes, thank you, Anne."  
  
The servant girl blushed slightly before retreating down the hall to Noin's chambers. Meanwhile Treize stretched and straightened his robes, which had become wrinkled from sitting and gazing out the window for so long. Despite the fact that no one acknowledged him as the true prince of this empire he still wished to look his best. His father and the rest of the rules be damned, he would look his part, even if he was a bastard child. Holding himself up he walked down the hall with an air of elegance, heading straight for the shrine at a leisurely pace.   
  
It was a rare time when he was allowed out of his room for any reason. His father, being quite ashamed of his bastard son, kept him locked away from all eyes. If it weren't for Zechs' considerable amount of power in the empire he would never be able to leave the room, luckily though Zechs had use of him and summoned him quite often. Granted Treize could leave the room almost any time he wished, thanks to the power Seriyu had awarded him, but he did not wish to advertise this fact. Better to save that trump card for when it was truly needed.  
  
Moving down the hall he reached the door the same time Noin did and both nodded a greeting to each other.   
  
Reaching forward Treize pushed open the doors to the shrine, and both stepped into the room, shutting the doors behind them. The room they now stood in was covered wall to wall with thick, rich tapestries of bright blue, showing a pictorial battle between two gods: Suzaku and Seriyu. It was an age-old story, of the two opposing gods of water and fire as they fought endlessly over the world and the humans. In the end both had been sealed away by their respective Priestesses, never to wreak such havoc again. Treize dropped on his knees upon entering the shrine, as did Noin.   
  
Treize lifted his hand and a blue symbol blazed to life there. "Scorpious, the Scorpion."  
  
Noin touched her lips lightly, which blazed blue, a different symbol appearing there. "Virgo, the Virgin."  
  
Zechs entered the shrine behind them and knelt down, though only on one knee. Exposing his shoulder from under his robes and armor his own symbol appeared. "Sagittarius, the Archer."  
  
All three stood up in unison and stepped farther into the room, toward the large stone statue of their guardian god. Noin and Treize turned to face Zechs, waiting for him to speak.  
  
"Merian has appeared, early. The Priestess of Byakko wishes to know when the Priest of Seriyu will be ready for the summoning. In short, when will your mask complete its job?"  
  
Noin glanced to Treize, who nodded for her to answer. "That depends on how often he wears it. The pattern has already begun to fork, which means the task is almost complete, but not entirely. A couple more days should do the trick."  
  
Zechs frowned deeply. "We do not have that long. You must speed up the process."  
  
Treize rubbed his chin in thought. "It is just a theory, but perhaps by adding Lady Noin's… talent we could finish the job. After all, does the mask not take his powers first?"  
  
Zechs raised an eyebrow. "Clear out his memories as well?"  
  
"Yes," Treize said with a nod. "That would also render him useless against us while we call Seriyu."  
  
Zechs thought on this for a moment then looked to Noin. "Can it be done?"  
  
"Easily," Noin replied. "Whenever you wish. However I recommend we give the mask one more day, to let it completely absorb his powers. Then I will take it from there."  
  
"Agreed. Dismissed."  
  
Both turned to leave the room but Zechs caught Treize's shoulder, causing the older man to stop. "I will have the servant girl leave your door unlocked just in case. When this is finished we will need to call Seriyu, I want you to be ready."  
  
Treize nodded. "I will await your orders in my room."   
  
All three departed the room, closing the door and leaving it empty. A moment later Duo slipped out of the shadows nearest to the door. "Boy am I ever lucky those Kuto idiots didn't ward the entire room, otherwise I never would have been able to hear anything. I have to find Quatre."  
  
**  
  
Trowa sighed softly and set down the scroll, closing his eyes he rubbed his forehead. Quatre glanced up at him in worry.  
  
"Any luck?" he asked quietly. Both were searching the scrolls in the library for clues, they had been all afternoon, but had found nothing. Quatre frowned when Trowa didn't answer him right away.  
  
Finally Trowa shook his head.  
  
Quatre set down the scroll he'd been looking over and walked over to his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right? You look tired."  
  
Trowa opened his eyes and glanced at the hand Quatre had placed on his shoulder, Quatre noticed this and quickly pulled it away, much to Trowa's disappointment. Trowa just shrugged though, his mind on other things. "I tried to sleep last night but couldn't."  
  
"It was probably because you made yourself sleep on the floor. I know, how about you go get some rest and I'll keep looking. We can alternate, then we'll both get enough sleep."  
  
Trowa glanced at his friend. "Are you sure? I thought you didn't want to be alone here."  
  
The blond boy responded with a small smile. "I'll be fine. And I promise to wake you if I find anything."  
  
He closed his eyes and thought some more. Quatre did have a point, he really felt like he needed sleep and it was affecting his concentration. But there was something else too… something he thought he was supposed to remember about one scroll in particular. Yet he dismissed the thought, not wanting to make his head ache more then it already did. Nodding to Quatre he stood up and started for the door, and that's when it hit him.  
  
Dizziness swept through his body and the whole world seemed to lurch forward. Trowa threw his arms out to try and catch something as he tumbled forward. He hit the ground hard, Quatre racing up to him a second too late.  
  
"Trowa?!"  
  
Trowa pushed himself to his knees and took a few deep breaths, forcing his eyes to move back into focus. "It's nothing, I just… got a little dizzy."  
  
Quatre bit his lip in worry. "Maybe I should walk you back to the room." Reaching down he took Trowa's hand and helped him to his feet. Trowa wavered slightly as the room tried to spin again, but this time Quatre held on to him, tight. The feeling passed and Trowa leaned on Quatre as they walked back to the room.  
  
"Thanks," Trowa whispered as Quatre helped him into the bed.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Get some sleep and I'll keep looking." Quatre smiled once more then stepped out of the room, sliding the door shut behind him.   
  
Trowa lay there silently for a while, just looking at the closed door. Then he rolled over on his side and dug into the folds of his robe, pulling out the mask. Lightly he traced the outline of the two inter-linking dragons, then he placed the mask over his face. He sighed softly as the cool porcelain seemed to ease his headache. Closing his eyes he drifted to sleep with half of his face covered. And for once his sleep was actually peaceful, though it had no dreams at all. In fact, he slept like the dead.  
  
**  
  
Quatre returned to the library after helping Trowa into bed and took his seat once more with the scrolls. Rubbing his eyes he went back to scanning the page for any important information. But he was barely able to start reading when his head snapped up. He could have sworn he heard something yet he couldn't remember any sound…  
  
He glanced toward the door of the library and saw a small girl standing there. It was Marimeia, and she flashed him a light smile as she timidly glanced around the room then stepped in. Quatre turned to face her.  
  
"What are you doing here? I got the impression before that you weren't supposed to be running around."  
  
The girl didn't answer; she only walked up to him and lay her head lightly on his shoulder, rubbing her cheek against his sleeve.  
  
Quatre blinked and smiled. "All right, I won't bug you about it, you can stay if they don't catch you."  
  
The girl nodded happily and pulled a chair over to the table. Climbing up on it she peered at the scrolls Quatre had laid out on the table. Her brows furrowed as she looked over them. After a moment she sat back and glanced around the room, looking deep in thought.  
  
"Something wrong?" Quatre asked. He felt kind of silly talking to a girl who couldn't/refused to talk back, but in retrospect it wasn't any stranger then the other stuff that had happened to him recently. So instead he put his hesitations to rest.  
  
Meanwhile Marimeia jumped off her chair and walked over to one of the shelves, looking over the scrolls. After a moment she glanced back at Quatre and pointed frantically to one shelf in particular. Quatre got out of his seat and went to see what she was pointing at. Oddly enough he found she was pointing at an empty spot. He frowned.  
  
"There's nothing there," he half murmured.  
  
Marimeia frowned and shook her head, pointing at the empty space again.   
  
"Is there supposed to be something there?"   
  
She nodded quickly. Then, with little warning, she rushed over to another shelf and pointed to another empty spot. Quatre watched as she moved around the library, pointing out a large amount of spaces that apparently were supposed to have scrolls. Slowly what she was trying to say occurred to him.  
  
"Someone took all those scrolls and put them somewhere else?"  
  
He was rewarded with a very small smile crossing the girl's lips, but it was worried at the same time. Quatre frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "I bet I know who took them too. It was Zechs wasn't it?"  
  
The girl nodded once more, the smile completely disappearing.   
  
"I have to tell Trowa!" Quatre started for the door, but paused and looked back at the girl. "You had better come with too."  
  
Marimeia frowned and thought about it, but after a moment she nodded and followed Quatre out of the library and toward Trowa's room.  
  
End of part 10 


End file.
